CHANDIGARH: 79th Independence Day was celebrated with full spirit and enthusiasm at multipurpose sports stadium of Government Nehru Memorial College, Mansa wherein Punjab Transport & Jail Minister Laljit Bhullar was the Chief Guest.
A. Bhullar, after inspecting the parade and taking salute from the parade, addressed the gathering and extend his heartfelt congratulations to area residents. He said that the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Mr. Bhagwant Singh Mann has taken very important steps for the families of freedom fighters and soldiers. He said that Punjab government has increased the monthly pension of freedom fighters and their heirs from Rs 9400 to Rs 11000. Ex-gratia amount for the heirs of martyred soldiers has also been increased from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
Speaking about the road safety of people, he said that the Road Safety Force has provided assistance in about 35 thousand road accidents beside providing first aid to 15, 406 persons on the spot and transporting 19, 162 injured persons to hospitals for medical care instate.
Divulging details about improvement in education sector in Punjab, he said that Punjab government is converting 118 government senior secondary schools into 'Schools of Eminence' and 115 government schools have already been named after freedom fighters, martyrs and internationally renowned personalities. Infrastructure development projects worth Rs. 2, 000 crore have been dedicated to the people in 12, 000 government schools of the state.
S. Bhullar said that the state government is running 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics in the state to provide first-class health services to the people, in which 107 types of medicines and 47 types of lab tests are done absolutely free. The government has plans to open 200 more Aam Aadmi Clinics in the future.
He said that Punjab government's 'war on drugs' has driven drug traffickers out of the state. He said more than 25, 000 arrests are made in state and demolishing the houses of drug smugglers has proved that there is no place for drug peddlers in Punjab. He also said that Punjab's jails have been equipped with ultra-modern systems like new X-ray baggage scanners, CCTV cameras and more.
State-of-the-art security including jamming system
The Minister paid special tributes to the families of freedom fighters and war veterans and met their families during the occasion.
The personalities who made outstanding achievements were also honoured during the occasion.