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Mann Warns Opposition Could End Punjab Welfare Schemes
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said opposition parties might stop some welfare programs if they win power.
He named free electricity and free bus rides for women among the programs he said could be affected.
He also said support for Mohalla Clinics and government schools might be reduced.
Mann accused the BJP of putting Punjab’s water interests at risk.
He said Punjab was left out of a recent agreement about the Kishau Multipurpose Project.
The agreement included Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
Mann said his government had increased canal-water use and built underground pipelines.
He also said 90 per cent of households now receive zero electricity bills.
Bhagwant Mann warned that opposition parties could halt Punjab’s welfare schemes if returned to power.
He said the BJP could redirect Punjab’s water share to Haryana and Rajasthan and seek changes involving Chandigarh and Panjab University.
Mann highlighted free electricity, women’s bus travel, Samman Rashi, Mohalla Clinics and government schools as programs at risk.
He said Punjab was excluded from a September 15 agreement on the Kishau Multipurpose Project involving six other states.
Mann cited zero electricity bills for 90 per cent of households, expanded canal-water use and infrastructure projects as achievements.
- Who
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the opposition parties he criticized, including the BJP, Congress and Akali Dal.
- What
- Mann warned that an opposition government could end or weaken Punjab’s welfare schemes, public institutions and water interests.
- Where
- During a ‘Lok Milni’ programme in Sansra village near Ajnala, Punjab.
- When
- The remarks were made on September 21; Mann also referred to an agreement signed on September 15.
- Why
- Mann said opposition parties’ priorities had been exposed and claimed Punjab was being excluded from regional decisions on water resources.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
- Free electricity
- Mann said 90 per cent of households receive zero electricity bills, with up to 300 free units provided monthly.
- Welfare programs mentioned
- Free electricity, free bus travel for women and Rs 1,000 Samman Rashi.
- Kishau agreement
- On September 15, six states signed an agreement to advance the Kishau Multipurpose Project; Punjab was not included.
- Project specifications
- The project is planned as a 232.6-metre-high dam on the Tons River, with storage capacity of 1,562 million cubic metres.
- Water utilisation
- Mann said canal-water utilisation increased from 22 per cent to 88 per cent.
- Infrastructure
- The government reported laying 14,000 kilometres of underground pipelines.
Quotes
Bhagwant Mann
Chief Minister of Punjab
“Agreements are being made between Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states, but Punjab is not even invited. Why is Punjab being treated as an outsider when the question concerns the water resources of this region?”
theprint.in
“The people of Punjab have witnessed their political decline. Previous governments failed to work in the larger interests of Punjab, and political power was used for personal and family interests.”
theprint.in
Sources
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