Govt released over Rs 3,200 crore for Punjab’s education: Bittu
Senior BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday said despite the Centre releasing Rs 3,205 crore to Punjab under major education schemes during the last four financial years, the AAP Government is turning school inaugurations into political advertisements.
His statement came on a day when Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated two new ‘Schools of Eminence’ in Ludhiana.
The former union minister said the Centre has consistently supported Punjab through flagship programmes such as Samagra Shiksha, PM SHRI Schools, PM POSHAN, ULLAS, and PM-USHA (formerly RUSA).
Pointing out that Samagra Shiksha alone has received more than Rs 2,200 crore during this period, Bittu said these schemes provide financial assistance for school infrastructure, laboratories, digital education, teacher training, students’ nutrition, and strengthening the overall education ecosystem.
“The issue is not who cuts the ribbon. The issue is who provided the resources. The Modi Government has invested thousands of crores in Punjab’s education, while the AAP Government is trying to convert every inauguration into a political advertisement,” said Bittu.
When substantial Central assistance has been continuously flowing to Punjab, every educational facility inaugurated by the Punjab Government should not be portrayed as a sole achievement of the state government, Bittu said. “The chief minister has every right to inaugurate schools, but he has no right to erase the contribution of the taxpayers of India and the Modi government. The people deserve transparency, not political branding,” he said.
Without discrimination, Bittu said the Modi Government has continued to release funds under Centrally sponsored schemes despite repeated political attacks by the AAP government.
Questioning the Punjab government’s reluctance to acknowledge the Centre’s financial contribution to education, Bittu asked how much of the infrastructure being showcased on Sunday has benefited from assistance available under the central schemes?
The BJP welcomes every new school, every classroom, and every educational investment because it benefits Punjab’s children. However, public money should never become a tool for political propaganda, he said.
