Punjab government highs and lows of 2019; year end review
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
Punjab government major achievement under Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh’s command in the Year 2019 is winning 8 seats out of 13 in parliamentary elections, 3 seats out of 4 in Punjab assembly by-elections the successfully celebrating 550 th Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Invest Punjab summit beside others.
royalpatiala.in analyse highs and lows of the year 2019, at its fag end.
Winning Elections
Congress has won eight parliamentary seats in Punjab, bucking the pro-Modi trend seen across northern, central and eastern India in this general election.Congress won 3 assembly seats out of four in a by-election held in last quarter of the year.
550 Parkash Purab celebrations
Punjab government under the stewardship Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh celebrated the 550th Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in a religious manner. Lots of activities-seminars, light and sound shows, tree plantation drives, International Kabbadi tournament, opening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor , releasing commemorative stamps, Achievers award to over 400 eminent Punjabi personalities, along with other activities were held throughout the year.
Invest Punjab
Amid slowdown, Punjab attracted the industrial giants, big business houses to invest in Punjab by organizing Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit at Mohali in December.
CAA Opposed
Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister Punjab has declared that his government will not allow implementation of CAA in Punjab and the Congress would continue to fight it tooth and nail.
Navjot Singh Sidhu sidelined
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been at loggerheads with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and was stripped off key portfolios in the cabinet reshuffle in June, has resigned from the state cabinet in July 2019
Ludhiana City Centre
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and all other accused in the alleged Rs 1,140-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam were discharged by Ludhiana Session Judge.
All-Women PCR vans launched
Further scaling up the police pick-drop facility for women in distress, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered all-women PCR vans to be mobilized in major five cities of Punjab to provide safe transport in response to such calls.
On Health Front:
Punjab government extended the coverage of “Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana” to poor families under public distribution system (PDS), poor farmers, families holding J-forms, construction workers families and small trader’s families.Full attention to the health of pregnant women and Lactating mothers were given.Once again dengue fever gripped Punjab, many causalities reported. Doctors, Nurses, paramedical staff were recruited to streamline the health services in Punjab.Inaugurated OPD at newly established All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bathinda.A Satellite centre of PGI is also okayed in the border belt at Ferozepur .Food safety officers were also recruited. Government Rajindra Hospital got a super specialty centre.New Medical College at Mohali, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur announced. Registration of all patients details started online.
Ghar Ghar rozgar
Organised various camps under ghar ghar rozgar scheme to offer jobs to unemployed youths of Punjab. Thousands of unemployed youths were recruited by Private sector in the year 2019.
NRI’s
Punjab government lured NRI’s to invest in their motherland’s development. Successfully carry forward its scheme ‘ Connect with Your Roots (CYR) with a view to give the Punjabi Youth in other countries an exposure of the ground realities in Punjab.
CM assured the Punjabi diaspora settled abroad that he would take up the issue of setting up Special Courts to expeditiously settle cases of those who had been declared Proclaimed Offenders (POs) after fleeing Punjab during the dark days of terrorism.
Share in Pension Scheme Increased
The Punjab Government has hiked its monthly matching contribution for employees under the New Pension Scheme from 10% to 14% of Basic Pay + Dearness Allowance (DA), in line with the decision of the Government of India in October, 2019.
Mission Tandrust Punjab
Throughout the year Punjab government special initiative “Mission Tandrust Punjab carried out special campaigns to ensure balanced use of fertilizers, checking adulterated milk, its byproducts and other food items , confiscating prohibitive medicines, remained vigilant during stubble burning period, highlighting ill effects of residue burning.
Punjab government announced Rs 2,500 per acre as compensation to those small and marginal farmers, who have not burnt paddy straw.
Congress loyalist adjusted
Capt Amarinder Singh adjusted congress loyalist, senior leaders as chairpersons, vice chairpersons, district planning committee heads in various boards, corporations, trusts.
New Municipal Corporations
The Punjab Council of Ministers approved upgradition of Batala, Kapurthala and Abohar local bodies as municipal corporations, fulfilling the demand of residents of these areas.
Military Literature Festival
Punjab government successfully organized third edition of Military Literature Festival in December 2019
Education
Established Sports University at Patiala solely dedicated to sports and announced to open state’s first open university- Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University in Patiala.
Law and Order
A high alert has been sounded in Punjab in September after multiple drones flew from across the border to drop arms and ammunition in Punjab to drop AK-47 rifles, counterfeit currency and narcotics, Punjab Police had to cancel the holidays of all its employees. CRPF was deployed at Punjab jails after the bloody clash broke out in Ludhiana central jail leaving one prisoner dead and several injured, which also included half a dozen policemen. Internationally acclaimed 5 Punjab Police DSP’s not considered for Promotion to their next level SP rank promotions.Punjab Police seizes crores of cash, lahan, drugs, arms and ammunition along with banned currency notes particularly in elections and throughout the year.Punjab Police has exposed a terrorist module of the revived Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) that was conspiring to unleash a series of terror strikes in Punjab and other adjoining states.Cracked major cases, arrested criminals, gangsters, broke drug peddlers chain throughout the year.Chief Minister urged the centre not to reduce the number of firearms permissible on a license from three to one in Punjab, in view of the sensitive location and troubled history of the state.Vigilance bureau nabbed various officials for accepting bribes.National Investigation Agency (NIA) director general YC Modi inaugurated the branch office the premier anti-terror organisation’s office in Chandigarh.Decided to depute directly recruited sub inspectors and constables in police stations.
Promoted Small Scale Units
To boost ease of doing business, and to promote small scale units in the state, the Punjab government approved several amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. PSIEC has launched Estate Management System (EMS)&Web-GIS (Geographic Information System) with the aim of ensuring transparency and promoting ease of doing business in the State.
First ever E-Auction of Residential Plots
Residential plots located in Focal Points across the State of Punjab were successfully allotted through first ever e-auction done by Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC).
2020 Sikh Referendum
Acceding to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s demand, IT giant Google has removed the secessionist, anti-India Mobile Application ‘2020 Sikh Referendum’ from its Play Store in November 2019.
National Award for Punjabi Film
Ammy Virk’s ‘Harjeeta’ wins the Best Punjabi Film title. In the 66th National Film Awards 2019, the Ammy Virk starrer ‘Harjeeta’ has bagged the title of Best Punjabi Film. Written by Jagdeep Sidhu and directed by Vijay Kumar Arora.
Sahitya Akademi Award 2019
Punjabi author Kirpal Kazak has been named along with 23 other prominent literary figures as the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, 2019.
Virasat-e-Khalsa Created Another Record
Virasat-e-Khalsa, the state-of-the-art museum built by the Government of Punjab at Sri Anandpur Sahib, has capped an extraordinary year by touching another milestone of getting listed in annual reference book, the ‘World Book of Records’ for the record of maximum footfall of visitors in a museum in a day.
Floods
Incessant rain and the opening of Bhakra Nangal Dam flood gates brought misery for people of the states. Punjab faced its worst flood in 40 years.
Stray cattle menace
Punjab government fails to tackle the stray animal problem in the state. Hundreds of causalities were reported in the state, throughout the year. Even the Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising of 4 senior Ministers of the Punjab Government called for collaborative action of all the departments of the Punjab Government to grapple with the serious socio-economic threat posed by stray cattle in the state of Punjab.
OSD’s to CM appointment
Punjab govt appointed 6 Congress MLAs- Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon of Faridkot, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring of Gidderbaha, Sangat Singh Gilzian of Urmur, Inderbir Singh Bolaria of Amritsar South, Kuljeet Singh Nagra of Fatehgarh Sahib and Tarsem Singh DC of Attari as advisers to CM in September. But in December Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore has raised a slew of queries over a bill, passed recently by the state assembly to regularise the appointment of the six advisors to chief minister in rank of ministers.
MLA’s, workers raised voice against bureaucrats
The Congress MLA’s, workers in Punjab alleged that the development works in their areas were not done and neglect by the state government and bureaucracy. Its workers set the alarm bells ringing by claiming that unfulfilled promises was ruining the party’s chances of making a comeback in the next State Assembly elections.
Fatehveer’s death
Fatehveer, a two-year-old boy, who was trapped in a 150-ft borewell after almost 110 hours, shows the lack of preparedness of the government in handling such crucial miss happenings.
PSPCL Shocker
Punjab state power corporation limited gave power shock to residents, industries by increasing the power tariff in the state.
