Punjab Government has applied brakes to the erstwhile SAD-BJP Government’s much-talked about Tirath Yatra scheme for giving pace to education in the State.
Finance Minister Manpreet Badal on Wednesday made it clear that the yatra will not chug free of cost anymore.
Manpreet, while responding to a query regarding expenditure on pilgrimages, pointed that so many educational institutes of repute required money to run.
“I have read in the newspapers that how the students were protesting, and were being lathi-charged as the Panjab University, Chandigarh, had increased fees to generate funds...they sought Rs 7 crore more,” said Manpreet.
He added, “Sainik School, such a great institute with so much repute, has not received grants since past 10 years...They sought Rs 10 crore. Baba Farid University, they come to me saying that they are really short of funds and demanded Rs 40 crore.”
“Just for Rs 50-60 crore, these educational institutions are suffering…Had the previous Government used Rs 139 crore for these institutes, they would not have suffered,” he added.
Manpreet maintained the Government had not made any provision to run the Mukh Mantri Tirath Darshan Yatra for the current fiscal.
Replying to a question raised by Congress MlA Parminder Singh Pinki, Manpreet said Rs 139.38 crores (Rs 139,38,32,900) were spent during 2016-17 on tirath yatra scheme.
As many as eight religious places, including Mata Chintpurni, Salasar Dhaam, Sri Anandpur Sahib, Mata Vaishno Devi, Jwala Ji, Khuralgarh, Sri Amritsar Sahib, and Sri Patna Sahib, were covered under the scheme through buses.
Five religious places, including Sri Nanded Sahib, Varanasi, Sri Ajmer Sharif, Chennai, and Sri Partna Sahib, were covered through trains under the scheme.
Verification into old age pensions within two months
Punjab Social Security Minister Razia Sultana made it clear that the complete process of verifying the beneficiaries under the Old Age pension scheme will be completed within two months. “Instructions have been issued to the Deputy Commissioners to complete the verification process within two months. The district welfare officers will assist the process,” she informed the House while responding to a question of Congress MlA Kulbir Singh Zira regarding investigation into old age pension.
Mohindra accuses SAD-BJP to ruin health sector
Hitting out at the erstwhile SAD-BJP Government, Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra accused it of demolishing the State’s health sector, and now leaving no money in coffers for us. “The previous Government built huge buildings but never bothered to send a doctor or specialist to these hospitals, neither they provide any infrastructure,” he said while responding to a query of SAD MlA Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra regarding upgradation of Community Health Centre Dhudhan Sadan into Sub-Divisional Hospital.
Barbed wire fencing of fields to be done within five years
Finance Minister Manpreet Badal said the Government would complete the project of barbed wire fencing of all fields to save crops from the wild animals in the lower Shivaliks within five years of the Government tenure. Maintaining that such an important project was hanging fire since long, Manpreet assured the House that fencing would be done from Pathankot to lalru. Manpreet’s assurance came after the Speaker Rana KP Singh and AAP MlA Kanwar Sandhu stressed on the seriousness of the issue.