Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil today called for a “free hand to states”in choosing and financing development priorities of their regions.

Honourable Speaker and Respected Members,

              Let me first of all extend a warm and hearty welcome to all of you to take part in the inaugural session of the 14th Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

2.    I congratulate all of you on your victory in the January 30 elections to the State Assembly. You truly represent the spirit and the voice of People of Punjab.

 3.   This is a truly momentous occasion as the people of the state have just scripted a new chapter in the history of democracy in the state and the country. You have come here after receiving a verdict which was truly a forceful mandate for peace, communal harmony, development and constructive politics. This mandates is also an endorsement of the secular vision of my Government.

4.    March 6 witnessed a rare sight on the political landscape of the state. The results of the elections for the Punjab Vidhan Sabha held on January 30, 2012 were announced, and for the first time in the state’s history since 1966, the people returned the incumbent SAD-BJP alliance, to office.

 5.   Both by the size of the electoral base and the mandate delivered, these have been remarkable elections, with nearly 80% of Punjabis exercising their franchise.

6.    And equally historic is the nature of the mandate given. People’s decision to repeat the SAD-BJP government for a second successive term has to be seen in the context of political history of the region for nearly half a century.
 7.          Punjabis are famous all over the world as people who love change and are generally inclined against the status quo. The state’s collective political psyche has generally been dominated by an anti-establishment sentiment.
 8.         The reason for  this is that  Punjabis by temperament are perfectionists and  expect their representatives, especially their governments, to perform at the highest levels of competence, efficiency and accountability,  and refuse to accept a compromise  with even the slightest deviation from the these standards. For Punjabis, nothing less than perfection defines a good performance.
 9.  In these elections, the people of the state sent out a strong new political message to their elected representatives. That signal, in three words, was: “Perform or Perish.”
10.         It is against this background that I stand here before you in what is decidedly a historic hour. My Government, comprising the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bhartiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP), has bucked the traditional anti-incumbency trend  and created history defying the severest odds as well as doomsday predictions, opinion and exit polls, assessments of  almost all political pundits and media experts makes this victory all the more remarkable and meaningful.
 11.               For any government to pass the severe test and meet the exacting standards of perfection set for them by the people, it requires a heroic and path-breaking performance by its members. I must thank the people for giving this rare honour to my Government for its performance between 2007 and 2012.
12.      My Government has received this mandate with profound humility and an enhanced sense of responsibility to the people.  To my Government and especially to Chief Minister Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, the man who has often been described by my predecessors   as a visionary and a “Saint Statesman”, the mandate is an inspiring stamp of approval of the true masters of the state - the people. It is also a great source of inspiration which carries a special message for future. While the mandate inspires my Government to scale even higher peaks in the service of the people, the message is loud and clear: Performance, not politicking, is the new mantra. Negative politics, nit-picking and opposition merely for the sake of opposition has been rejected.
13.  The powerful endorsement from the people is all the more significant considering the background against which my government has performed most creditably in every sphere of development and governance.
14.       My Government had received a most unenviable legacy from its predecessors. The situation in the state did not inspire much confidence when my Government took over for its previous tenure on February 12, 2007. The law and order was a shambles. Economy had suffered serious imbalances resulting in stagnation and even depression.
  15.    Nothing had been done in the five years preceding 2007 to boost revenues and rationalize government spending. The Debt to GSDP ratio was mounting. The specter of unemployment loomed large and no meaningful and effective measures had been initiated or even planned to fight this menace. No steps had been taken to boost the critical power generation. Even work on the country’s largest Oil Refinery at Bathinda had been stalled for considerations other than the progress of the state.
 16.        The primary sector presented an even more depressing scenario. Health care and education, both at the school and the higher levels, had been in a state of neglect. Serious socio-economic issues challenged my government in 2007, such as environmental pollution, non-availability of clean drinking water and other civic amenities.
17.      For my Government, February, 2007 was truly like the first chapter of Genesis. Everything had to be built afresh.
18.         It needed a Herculean effort to do this and pull the state out of this dark tunnel, but my Government was equal to the task. There has been, between 2007-12, a definite turn-around in the economy of the state, with state’s own revenues going up from Rs 8989 crore annually in 2005-06 to Rs. 16828 crore in 2011-12 & is estimated to touch Rs. 20408 Cr in the 2011-12 Budget.

19.         Health and education sectors were given top priority, and as result the state climbed up the national indices in a remarkable leap.

1.  The State jumped up from a poor ranking of 14 to a creditable number 3 in the National Educational Development index prepared by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration.

21.  Similarly, Primary Health Sector saw major improvement. The Health infrastructure in Punjab was rated as “excellent” by the Central Review Mission of the Union Ministry of Health.
22.  More than 1, 20,000(one lakh twenty thousands) youth were given government jobs and many more adjusted elsewhere. For the first time, a special initiative was launched to increase employability of our youth through introduction of skill up-gradation courses. The process of cleaning of rivers was taken up on a war footing.
23.  In addition to this, there was an unprecented drive to regularize employees who had been working on contract or as daily wage earners. Some of these employees had been working in this capacity for more than 20 years. My government regarded this as sheer tyranny and exploitation. Accordingly, this was effectively eliminated. Efforts will be made that in future also, recruitments are made only on regular basis.
24.       All this decisively pulled the state into a sunshine zone, effectively falsifying, the prophecies of doom made by certain quarters who were guided either by blind political ambition or by a lack of a sound economic vision.
25.  The turnaround translated into a virtual flurry of development activity in the state. Independent observers noted with a mixture of amazement and admiration that the development bar in the state had
been raised to heights not even dreamt of by any government earlier.
 26.       The speed, the sheer vigour and the magnitude of the development initiative saw every village; town and city of the state undergo a virtual transformation, with a massive network of infrastructure development projects.
27.         A major area of concern has been a fall in productive investment in the state over the past decades. A variety of factors is responsible for this. Long period of militancy-related turmoil and industrial concessions given to Punjab’s neighbouring states are among the chief reasons for this.
28.         But on its part, my Government is determined to reverse this trend. We have several things going our way in this. Punjab has the best infrastructure in the country. It also has the most peaceful and healthy industrial and business climate in the country. The power sector in the state is undergoing a dramatic transformation.
29.         With all this, we need to show case and market the state in a big way. For this, my Government has set up a separate department.  This will be called the Department of Investment Promotion, and will be headed by a minister. The concerned Administrative Secretary will have Headquarters in New Delhi and the minister in charge will devote considerable time in the national capital to interact with various departments of the Government of India, as also potential investors and business houses.
30.         Punjab, as we all know, is predominantly an agricultural state. But pressure on the limited natural resources, land and water, and the ever increasing demand for food means that we are now faced with a situation in which even the most advanced scientific research can produce only a certain amount of increase in food production.
31.         In addition, the farmers need to be given the full benefits of advanced food processing technologies. With this objective in view, my Government has set up a Department of Food Processing. An all out effort would be made to harness new technologies in this key area and integrate these with new efforts to fine-tune and expand agricultural marketing processes.
    32.             The power sector received a major shot in the arm with three Thermal Plants coming off the ground and reaching advanced stages of completion. These efforts have brought the state to the doorsteps of not just self-sufficiency in meeting its power requirements but of actually making Punjab a power surplus state, capable of selling power to other states and using the revenue thus raised to improve the quality of power to our own consumers, in  domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors .
33.           With such a broad thrust towards inclusive development, the alliance partners in my government went to the people on January 30 to seek a fresh mandate, asking them to assess its performance purely on merit. My Government made peace, communal harmony, development and good governance its sole positive agenda and sought a referendum on performance.
34.         I feel proud to say that the wise and discerning people of Punjab responded to my Government’s call with and unprecedented and resounding mandate, forcefully endorsing its vision, policies, programmes and performance.
35.         And, while this mandate will always be talked about as the first time ever that the people asked the same representatives to serve them in back-to-back tenures, equally crucial and historic is the vision for which it was delivered.
 36.               In this regard, I wish to reiterate for emphasis that the fabric of this vision is textured with four vital threads: peace, harmony, transparent and responsive governance, and progress with inclusive development. This four-fold texture sums up the vision of the Chief Minister whose persona has come to symbolize the spirit of Punjab, firmly rooted in heritage, history and tradition and deeply committed to development and prosperity with new and progressive ideas for future. In many ways, the mandate 2012 is a mandate for this persona that defines the urges and aspirations of the people of this state.
37.    For this, my Government and the people of Punjab deserve special thanks as well as congratulations. Despite serious challenges and the highly surcharged atmosphere, the entire process of elections in Punjab remained entirely free from any glitches, with hardly any incident of violence or any malpractices reported from any part of the state. The electoral process itself was symbolic of the overall atmosphere of peace, communal harmony in the state and a proof of the political maturity of our people.
38.  The verdict that the people have given in these elections fully backs the approach that my Government has adopted towards both the national as well regional issues.
39.         At the national level, my Government is fully committed to a genuinely federal structure and firmly believes that strong states mean a strong nation.
 40.        Unfortunately, there has been a progressive erosion of powers given to the states in the Constitution, reducing them to mere beggars at the doors of the Center. The states are directly accountable to the people for all their needs of development and better quality of life. And the state governments are in the best position to understand and address the problems of the people at the cutting edge. They should therefore be given a free hand in choosing and financing development priorities of their regions. Central schemes are generally made without any reference to the varied needs of different states, and of different regions within the same state.
41.         My Government demands that the formula for devolution of funds be recast in favour of states and that fund be allotted to them for spending on state-specific requirements and plans. States should be given 50% share in revenue collected from states.
42.         My Government is firmly opposed to the decision of the Government of India to set up a National Counter Terrorism Center, with over-riding powers given to central agencies.  This decision is a violation of the federal principle and will further weaken the states. In addition, it will also create unnecessary complications, hampering smooth relations between the center and the states.
43.         My Government demands an immediate review of this decision.

 44.        In addition to problems being faced by all states, there are specific issues to injustice meted out to Punjab in many ways.
   Our Capital City, Chandigarh, and several other Punjabi speaking areas have been kept out of the state. These must be transferred to the state at the earliest.

46.         The issue of river waters of the state must be resolved as per the nationally and internationally accepted Riparian Principle.  My Government is opposed to any national river water policy that is framed in violation of the Riparian Principle.

47.         The massacre of innocent Sikhs in November in Delhi and some other parts of the country 1984 still remains a blot on the conscience of the nation. Those widely perceived to be guilty of organizing this outrage against humanity are yet to be punished and many of them have in fact enjoyed positions of political eminence and power. My Government demands exemplary punishment to the guilty and comprehensive relief to families that suffered in this dark period.
48.          Punjab has suffered discrimination in economic spheres also. One of these relates to Industrial Concessions given to our neighboring states because of which there has been a large scale flight of capital from Punjab. We are not against any initiative that helps development and progress in our neighboring states. But we believe that similar concessions should be given to Punjab also. As a matter of fact, Punjab being a Border State is the most eligible candidate for receiving such concessions from the center.
49.         My Government strongly believes in dignified democratic conduct and an atmosphere of constructive co-operation between the Government and the Opposition and is firmly opposed to the politics of vendetta which had come to mar political climate in the state between 2002 and 2007. In pursuance of this new and refreshing approach, the Chief Minister withdrew a case of  criminal defamation against the former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh at a time when this case had gained legal momentum following the dismissal of false cases of corruption against the Chief Minister and  members of his family. My Government is firmly against unseemly confrontation in Public Life and is opposed to Vendetta in any form.
50.         One of the path breaking initiatives of my Government in 2007-12 was the focus on people friendly governance. For this, it undertook a series of Administrative Reforms to make the state machinery more responsive and accountable to the true masters, the people. To take this initiative even further and ensure full implementation of the decisions already taken, my Government will set up a dedicated department of Governance Reforms. Improved governance is an ongoing process and needs constant monitoring, fine-tuning and implementation of new reforms demanded by new situations.

AGRICULTURE

51.         Agriculture is the most important sector of the State’s economy. Punjab has been at the forefront in solving the country’s food problem, even at the cost of its own natural resources. The price of major inputs such as diesel and fertilizers, and also the procurement price of food grains, is determined by the Central Government; and its unfavourable policies have adversely affected the farmers - leading to total farm debt of more than Rs. 35,000 crores. The State also faces discrimination because of the criteria used in fixing allocatiounder the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
52.           In this background, the Government had taken various initiatives to improve the viability and sustainability of Punjab’s agriculture. Free supply of electricity for tube wells is a major step in this
direction. My Government has ensured timely and adequate supply of various inputs. Farmers have been compensated for the extra
expenditure incurred during unforeseen contingencies such as the drought of Kharif 2009.  A programme for replacement of seeds have been started, and seeds have been distributed on subsidy. Water conservation has been promoted not only through legislative measures but also through the provision of enhanced subsidy on Micro Irrigation/Drip Irrigation, and also a new programme to install
underground pipeline systems. Horticulture has been encouraged through the establishment of Citrus Estates, and propagation of protected
cultivation. 7 km is under progress.
53.          My Government will continue its farmer friendly initiatives, and will endeavour to increase public investment in agriculture.
54. The Government will coordinate with other stakeholders to press for a new system for fixing the MSP of farm products – to either link these to the Price Index, or be fixed as per the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan formula of 50% profit over the cost of cultivation. Special attention will be paid towards the promotion of agricultural research.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, FISHERIES & DAIRY DEVELOPMENT

55.             Livestock sector contributes about 13% in the State GDP. It has emerged as a viable alternative to agriculture. During the year 2011-12, emphasis has been on genetic upgradation of milch animals and productivity enhancement by importing high genetic merit semen. Nine new Veterinary Polyclinics were established. The whole state was brought under the FMD control programme. Extensive vaccination was done against other animal diseases. Fodder seed production and distribution was strengthened.
56.           Under Self Employment Scheme, more than 4000 unemployed rural youth were imparted training. Dairy farmers were given 45 days Dairy Entrepreneurship Training.
57. My government will continue all the old initiatives and introduce several new measures to promote this allied agricultural sector.

CIVIL AVIATION

58.          Civil aviation has been momentum with two new international airports coming to the state, one at SAS Nagar, Mohali, and the other at Machhiwara planned and started for the state. My government  calls upon the Government of India to complete these major air-connectivity projects as these are linked to the overall economic prosperity of the state. International flights from the Chandigarh airport can be started at the earliest. Work on expand and upgrade the “SRI GURU RAM DASS JI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AMRITSAR” is in progress and efforts would be made to get this completed in a time bound manner.
59.        Domestic scheduled flights have started from Civil Aerodrome, Sahnewal, near Ludhiana  airport . Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India had accorded their approval for starting two civil commercial flights from Indian Air force station Bhisiana near Bathinda.
60.     A Flying Training Academy at Village Behman Jassa Singh Near Talwandi Sabo and Faridkot.
61.     For setting up of green Field International Airport near Ludhiana a Green Field Internation (Aerotropolis) is being established by M/s Bengal Aerotropolis Pvt. Ltd. as a private venture. Ministry of Defense, Govt. of India have accorded their approval for this Rs. 17,500 Cr Aerotropolis project
.
CO-OPERATION

62.    Cooperatives have largely helped in sustaining agriculture growth in the State and maintaining the benefits of green and while revolutions of farmers. The Department of Cooperation has taken anumber of measures to introduce transparency and efficiency in its
operations with the objective to reduce the cost of services to the farmers. During 2011-12, Cooperative Financing Institutions have advanced more than 8000 crore upto 31.12.2011 as short-term loans and it is expected that they will achieve the target of Rs.9300 crore. Likewise more than 350 crore have been advanced upto 31.12.2011 as
long-term and medium-term loans to the farmers.
63.        Bhai Ghania Health Service Scheme was launched for the welfare of the people.
64.            My Government now aims to pursue cooperative sector reforms more effectively.


CULTURAL AFFAIRS, ARCHIEVES, & MUSEUMS

 65.            My government will be remembered by generations to come for
the historic steps it took to preserve and promote heritage and culture. A truly world class the Khalsa Heritage Complex has been established at Sri Anandpur Sahib . It was has already been opened to the public. Similarly, a stunning memorial the the victory of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur over the Mughal Army has been built at the site of the historic battle, with a victory which the tallest in the country and the seventh tallest in the world.  History of Punjab is replete with instances of unparalleled sacrifices by the brave and patriotic people, but these great moments of history, which would have attracted world wide attention anywhere else, ahd been lying largely neglected. Chief Minister Sardar Parkash Singh Badal was personally committed to undo this wrong to our great martyrs and heroes. Accordingly, he personally visualised, planned and oversaw the execution of tow world class monuments to the memory of Wadda and Chotta Ghallugharas – one at village Kup Rohira in Distt. Sangrur and the other at Chak Abdalwari, village Kahnuwal  in Gurdaspur Distt.  In addition, Harpal Tiwana Acedemy and Ishmeet Academy were set up at Patiala and Ludhiana respectively. My government now plans to set up a truly world class memorial to immortalise the contribution of Punjabis to the task of freeing India from the yoke of foreign rulers. This will come up in Doaba, the home of great heroes and martyrs including Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh and the heroes of the Ghaddar movement.

HIGHER EDUCATION

66.             The Govt. of Punjab is committed to improve the quality of Higher Education and is making constant efforts in this direction. At present, there are 10 State Universities, 4 Private Self Financed Universities, 48 Govt. Colleges, 136 Private Aided Colleges, 168 Self
Financed B.Ed. Colleges, 15 University Constituent Colleges and more
than 100 Un-aided Colleges in the State. Sincere efforts would be made to improve not only the higher education infrastructure but the quality also. Budgetary support to the State Universities and Private Aided Colleges under the Non-Plan Scheme would continue. The department proposes to spend about Rs. 168 crore on the upgradation ofm basic infrastructure in Govt. colleges.
67.             Last year, 15 New Model Degree University Constituent Colleges have been constructed in 15 educationally backward districts at the estimated cost of Rs. 185 crore. These colleges have started
functioning from the session 2011-12.

68.  My government got a historic law enacted to ensure the use of Punjabi language for all official work in the state.

EMPLOYMENT GENERATION AND TRAINING

69.     My Govt. will take steps to create ten lakh new jobs. Of these, 2 lakh jobs will be in govt. sector and at least 3 lakh more jobs will be created in IT sector alone. The rest would be in industry, manufacturing and service sectors.
70     The department will open skill development centers in each District and Sub Division Headquarter in PPP mode to train our youth for employment in technical jobs.

71          Special Diploma in Civil Engineering in basic skills for masons,
plumbers and carpenters and other artisans will be started to upgrade the employability of our youth, especially for the economically weaker sections of society.

EXCISE AND TAXATION

72         Modernization of Tax Administration would be the top priority of my Government. The Department has already started IT related services like E-Filing, E-Payment, E-Permit, E-Pass and E-Billing etc. Currently, the department is in the process of further modernization. All the processes will be paperless which will help in improvement in realization of taxes and improved better facilities to the dealers and
the industrialists.

73    Punjab favours the introduction of Goods and Service Tax (GST) without allowing any infringement on the federal structure of the constitution. However, the purchase tax must not be subsumed in the GST.

74    For the year 2012-13, the Department has prepared the Excise Policy for allotment of liquor vends in a free, fair and transparent manner. This will generate revenues of Rs.3600 crores.
FINANCE

75   My Government had inherited a truly unenviable fiscal legacy in 2007. The situation was so bad that even those who were responsible for it in the first place and had left it for us to tackle had started talking about a Fiscal Emergency. It was a difficult road to tackle but my Government was determined to put the state back on track. It wanted to achieve this without putting any additional burden on the people. As a result of this, the state's finances have already turned a new leaf and there is new buoyancy in revenue generation. The state has made consistent efforts to improve the fiscal situation.  The state’s own tax revenue has shown remarkable growth which was 39.77 percent in 2010-11 against 0.31 percent in 2006-07.  This revenue buoyancy has become possible because of good governance and sound policies adopted by the State Government.  The State expects to adhere to the budgeted target of fiscal deficit of Rs. 8801 crore  for 2011-12, which is 3.39 percent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) as against 3.50 percent as per Fiscal Road Map recommended by the 13th Finance Commission for the State.  The State Government has been following prudent debt management policy. The outstanding debt as per 2011-12 budget has been estimated at Rs. 77585 crore at the end of the current year, which is 29.91 percent of GSDP, well below the ratio of 41.80 percent recommended by the 13th Finance Commission for Punjab.  The state has been able to reduce its debt to GSDP ratio to 30.35 percent in 2010-11 from 38.03 percent in 2006-07.

76    The state has been maintaining fiscal discipline but the implementation of 5th Punjab Pay Commission recommendations from January, 2006 and part payment of arrears to government employees and pensioners have temporarily affected our capacity to maintain Revenue
Deficit at 1.8 percent of GSDP for the year 2011-12 as prescribed by the 13th Finance Commission.  The temporary slippage on revenue deficit target is on account of this additional financial commitment, dwindling share of Punjab in Central taxes and no subvention from the Government of India for implementation of the Pay Commission.  Besides this, the state is saddled with high cost debt resulting in heavy interest payment. The state will continue to tread the fiscal reform path to further improve the fiscal health of the state.
FOOD, CIVIL SUPPLIES AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS
77    Punjab contributed 102 lac MT wheat  during Rabi 2010-11 and 109 lac MT wheat during Rabi 2011-12 for the Central Pool. The farmers of the State were paid  Rs. 11200  crore during Rabi 2010-11 and Rs. 12800/- crore during Rabi 2011-12 for their  produce at the MSP rates.
78 .   During Kharif 2010-11, 129 lac MT paddy was procured for the Central Pool while 115 lac MT paddy was procured during Kharif 2011-12. A total of Rs. 13300/- crores and Rs. 12200/- crores as per MSP were paid to the farmers for their produce during Kharif 2010-11 and Kharif 2011-12 respectively. The State Government has fixed a procurement target of 115 lac MTs wheat for the Central Pool during the ensuing Rabi 2012-13 for which the necessary arrangements are being made. The Union Government is paying the incidentals as per provisional rates instead of final rates, due to which claims alongwith interest worth Rs. 12000 crore is pending with Govt. of India. The non clearance of these claims has caused serious financial problems  for the State Government and its agencies.
79         62 lac ration cards have been issued  to the beneficiaries in the Punjab State under the APL, BPL & AAY categories. Out of these, 3 lac Below Poverty Line (BPL) families are issued 35 kg. Wheat per family
at the rate of Rs. 4 per kg. Another 2 lac poorest of the poor families are issued 35 kg. wheat per family at the rate of Rs. 2.00 per kg. The beneficiary families are distributed ration through a network of 15,616 ration depots in the State.
80.      The State Government will continue its pioneering pro-poor Atta Dal Scheme under which 15 lac families are issued 5 kg Wheat per person and 25 kg wheat per family at the rate of Rs. 4/- per kg.  Apart from this, half kg. pulses per person and 2.5 kg pulses per family is issued at the rate of Rs. 20/- per kg.
FORESTS
81.     My Government is committed to the Greening of Punjab State through concerted efforts for conservation and development of forestsmboth on public and private lands.  The efforts of the State Government have resulted in an unprecedented and unparalleled increase of 100 sq.km. in forest cover of the State.

 FREEDOM  FIGHTERS

82             The Government of Punjab has high respect for freedom fighters. The people who made great sacrifices in these historical events were not granted the Status of freedom fighters, even 64 years after the freedom of the country.  But, My government granted the just status of
 Martyrs to the those who sacrifices their lives at Jallianwala Bagh and in the Kuka and Kamagata Maru movements. Heirs of these martyrs are given the same facilities as are given to the heirs of the freedom fighters.
83            Similarly, my Government started reimbursement of medical bill for indoor medical treatment to the wives, widows and unmarried/unemployed daughters of freedom fighters (who are eligible for pension).

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

84           My Government considers the people as true masters in our democratic system. Dignity of the citizen is central to its vision of governance. We aim to eliminate the harassment of the citizens in government offices by providing government services to them as a matter of right. For this purpose, Right to Service Act,2011 has been promulgated w.e.f 20-11-2011, covering 67 Services in which services will be provided in a date bound manner.A Right to Service Commission at the State level has been setup for the protection of the rights of citizens in this regard.

HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

85            The State Government has initiated a major programme for up-gradation of infrastructure and providing of manpower in health institutions in the state. One new district hospital, 5 new sub-divisional hospitals and 33 new community health centres are being constructed at a cost of Rs. 346 crore. The department started the recruitment drive for recruitment of 574 specialists, 602 medical officers and 2463 para-medics in the month of July, 2011.
86      The health department launched Emergency Response Service (dial
108 ambulance) in April 2011 by deploying 240 ambulances in phases throughout the state at a cost of Rs. 77 crores. The service caters tontrauma, medical emergencies and delivery cases and is available free
of cost.
87       The State recorded an impressive performance in regard to important health indicators. The infant mortality rate (IMR) declined by 4 point from 38 in 2009 to 34 in 2010  as per latest SRS survey of GoI published in 2011.
88             The State has taken a number of initiatives with regard to maternal and child health services. Deliveries in the government hospitals are free and pregnant women are given free medicines and cash incentive of Rs. 1000 (Rs. 1700 for BPL/SC women) for deliveries in government hospitals.
89             Two new super specialty hospitals have been set up by MAX
Healthcare in collaboration with the state government in civil hospital Bathinda and Mohali. The state government has upgraded 3 medical colleges for treatment of cancer patients. A Cancer treatment centre is being set up by Baba Farid University of Health Science at Bathinda at a cost of Rs. 60 crore. A sum of Rs. 30 crore was earmarked for treatment of cancer patients under the Chief Minister Punjab Cancer Relief Fund under which 2076 patients have been benefited.

HOME AFFAIRS AND JUSTICE

90            Rule of Law and maintenance of peace and law and order
are the top priorities of my Government. During the year 2011 crime situation in the State remained under control.  Terrorist activities have been kept under effective check. Continued pressure of the Government on anti-national elements, drug traffickers and other law breaking elements has led to much improved congenial atmosphere leading to normalization of security scenario, as well as, healthier commercial activity and economic development in the State.  Elections, including those to the state assembly, were held in the State in a most peaceful, free and fair manner.
91.  To ensure adequate, efficient  and trained man-power for peace and
security,  my Government recruited 20064 police officers/officials. Of these,   485 were lady constables.
 92.            In order to maintain the morale of the police personnel, timely promotions have been given to all the police officials ranking from constable to the rank of DGP. Commissionerate system have been introduced first time  in the history of Punjab Police in Districts – Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar. Keeping in view of the requirements three new police districts i.e. Jalandhar (Rural), Pathankot and Fazilka have been created besides one Police Zone, Bathinda and One Police Range, Ropar too have been established.
93.             In order to improve better public police  liaison  ensuring the welfare of the public 25 Community policing centres (at district level), 95 Sanjh /suvidha centres (at sub-division level) and 83 Out reach centres ( at Thana level) have been set-up. Efforts have been made to provide better modern vehicles  and improve the weaponry of the Police force. Several other steps were also taken to improve the working conditions, emoluments and morale of the police force, including  a  “Cashless Medical Claim Scheme”.

 HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELPOMENT

94.             Master Plans of SAS Nagar, Zirakpur, Mullanpur, Derabassi, Ludhiana, Kharar, Banur, Abohar, Gobindgarh, Srihargobindpur, Bathinda, Patiala, Amritsar, Bagha Purana, Khanna and Jalandhar have
been notified.
95.             In an attempt to speed-up the acquisition of land and to avoid litigation, Department of Housing & Urban Development, Govt. of Punjab has announced Land Pooling Scheme (LPS). The land pooling scheme
provides for a partnership deal with the land owners.

96.             To overcome procedural delay in acquiring land, Department of Housing & Urban  Development has devised another tool known as New‘Land Purchase Policy’, for the acquisition of land in a more
transparent and farmer friendly manner.
97.             Work pertaining to laying of water supply pipelines (2200 mm dia) from Phase-V & VI Mohali to Kajouli Water Works has been undertaken. In 2nd Phase of project, water treatment plant costing of
Rs.155.88 Crore would be set up at Phase-II,Mohali,

98.             Development works of Aerocity worth Rs. 275.00 crore have been undertaken by M/s Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
99.             Site measuring 7.00 acres in Phase-VI Sector 57, Mohali  has been handed over to M/s C&C Constructions Private Limited on BoT basis for the construction of a State of Art Bus Stand cum Commercial Complex.
 100.           Development of Golf Academy with Club Facilities at a cost of Rs. 8.5 crore on an area measuring 10.82 acres in Sector 65, Mohali is nearing completion.
101.            Land measuring 1688 acres stands acquired vide awards announced
in December 2011 for development of  IT City/Knowledge  Park close to Sector 66, 82 and 101 on Kharar-Mullanpur road.
102.            GLADA has undertaken development of Water Supply & Sewerage
Scheme at Khanna, Doraha, Sahnewal, Samrala, Machiwara, Noor Mehal, Mullanpur Dakha & Phillaur at a cost of Rs. 330 Crore. 264 built-up houses have been allotted to the general public under Self Financing Scheme. Construction of Railway Over Bridge (ROB) Dana Mandi and Railway Under Bridge (RUB) Ferozepur Road has been undertaken at a cost of Rs. 60.00 crores.

103.            Authority is in the process of developing a new Urban Estate at Gurdaspur. The land measuring 155 acres has already been acquired at Amritsar-Pathankot Road (NH-15).

INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE

104.            In order to accelerate the pace of Industrial development in the State, my Government played the role of a Facilitator and Hand Holder by lessening Government’s control & outsourcing the regulatory
measures, while  implementing  the Punjab Industrial Facilitation Act, introduced the system of deemed approvals for clearances by the different agencies in time bound manner besides starting the facility
of online submission of Composite Application Forms, to provide empowerment to the unemployed and rural women,  has allowed  them to work during night shifts.

105.            My Government assisted and ensured the timely completion and commissioning  of the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery project with  huge investment of about Rs.19,000 crore.  For mega investments the incentives were made  transparent and standardized. 91 such  projects with proposed investment of Rs. 51,049 crore  were  sanctioned and Investment of Rs. 9673 crore has already been made.

106.            Punjab being a landlocked State, my Government has been stressing upon the Government of India to get MFN status expedited from the Pakistan Government and also to have   only the
negative list of items for export.   To facilitate the movement of goods my Government has got the Eastern Route Freight Corridor extended upto Ludhiana and further requested its extension upto Amritsar and its linking to the Western Freight Corridor.  Government of India has also agreed in-principle to extend Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) upto Ludhiana during deliberations. Request has been made for its   extension upto Amritsar. In order to provide good industrial infrastructure and maintenance thereof, my Government is committed to enact/implement the Punjab Common Infrastructure in Industrial Area (Regulation and Maintenance) Act.

IRRIGATION

107.            To ensure adequate water supply for irrigation especially at the tail ends of the canals in the State, a consolidated project amounting to Rs.3769 crore for Modernization, Remodelling, Renovation and Extension of canals, deep tube wells, lining of water courses, cleaning of head works, repairing of gates has been prepared and sent to Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India for approval.

108.    Work regarding side Lining of Bathinda Branch, Abohar Branch, Sidhwan Branch and Bist Doab Canal will be started in year 2012-2013 at the cost of Rs.735 Crore. Earlier the work of lining of Kotla
Branch, Ghaggar Branch, Ladhuka, Mamdot, Dehlon and Pakhoke distributaries have been completed incurring expenditure of Rs.184 Crore.

109.    The Project for relining of Rajasthan Feeder at a cost of Rs. 952 crore and relining of Sirhind Feeder Canal at Rs. 489 crore are proposed to be started soon, to save the adjoining lands of Rajasthan
and Sirhind Feeder from Water logging.  A sum of Rs. 33 crore has been spent on the cleaning and de-silting of canals and another sum of Rs.36 crore likely to be spent during the financial year 2012-2013 to
enhance the water carrying capacity from the present 25% to almost
70-75% at the tail end.

110.    To save the Punjab from floods, 3800 Nos. of river training works has been completed at the cost Rs.63 Crore. Cleaning of drains have been done at the cost of Rs. 40 Crore. Rs.78 crores under RIDF
will be spent on flood protection works on Ravi, Beas and Satluj rivers during 2012-13. Besides, under Flood Management Programme works to the tune of Rs. 160 crore are under execution at various stages. A
proposal to undertake protection measures on rivers Ravi, Beas and Satluj at the cost of Rs. 295 crores is awaiting sanction fromGovernment of India.

111.    The work of Kandi Canal Stage-II is proposed to be completed during 2012-13 with an expenditure of Rs. 267 crore. Work of Nara Dam and Development of underground water distribution system of 5 other
dams is proposed to be taken up during the year 2012-13 at a cost of Rs.36 crore and Rs.30 crore respectively.
118.    The work of Shahpurkandi Barrage with an estimated cost of Rs.2785 crore is proposed to be started during 2012-13 to improve irrigation in UBDC command apart from power generation.

112.    To check the underground water table from going down 334 medium ground water observation Water Tube wells have been installed and installation of another 366 tube wells is under progress.

113.    Under Command Area Development and Water Management Programme, the work on construction of field channels with an estimated cost of Rs. 240 crore of UBDC, Sirhind Feeder part-II and Bathinda Branch
Part-II is under progress. It is proposed to spend Rs. 358 crore on these projects during 2012-13. It is also proposed to spend Rs.100 Crore during the year 2012-13 on installation of deep tube wells in Kandi Areas, as a result 26500 Acres of barren land will be brought under irrigation.

114.    A Comprehensive Proposal for “Management of Declining Ground Water Resources to Sustain Food Production” amounting to Rs. 3498.40 cr. has been taken up with Govt. of India and its approval is awaited.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

115.  My Government accords a high priority to infrastructure development for the urban population. The Government has succeeded in providing 88% of urban population with water supply and 60% with
sewerage facilities. Government has been able to get two Mission Cities Ludhiana and Amritsar approved under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM ) from Government of India and under its
component, Urban Infrastructure Governance (UIG), projects of Rs. 725 crore was got approved for   Amritsar and Ludhiana for sewerage, water supply, Solid Waste Management and Elevated Road  Amritsar. In
addition,   Govt. has succeeded in getting Rs. 476 crore approved under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT ) – a component of JNNURM.  Under third component,
Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) , about 5000 houses have almost been completed in Ludhiana and Amritsar and under the last component i.e. Integrated Housing Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) Scheme of JNNURM , 720 houses in Rajpura for Slum Dwellers are under construction and 3680 for Slum Dwellers in Jalandhar are being upgraded. Govt. has also raised Rs.430 crore from  Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for carrying out works of Sewerage .  For abatement of pollution of rivers in the State 160 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are being set up in the State out of which 15 have been commenced and 53 are under construction. Govt. has created a fund i.e. Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Fund
(PMIDF)  which receives 20% of the additional tax of Value Added Tax (VAT) directly which comes to Rs.200 crore per annum.  These funds are utilized to raise infrastructure status of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Likewise, Municipal Development Fund Scheme is also run by the Department of Local Government.  Government has taken strides in undertaking a City Bus Service in Jalandhar and Ludhiana which is
likely to be adopted by other major cities shortly.  Likewise Solid Waste Management  scheme is also being introduced in the whole State of Punjab on PPP mode.

116.            The Government intends  to secure more funds from Government of India under JNNURM and from Govt. of Japan under JICA.  Rapid Transport System is in the offing in Ludhiana where Metro shall be started by the government in near future.  The starting of PODs to ferry passengers from Bus Stand and Railway Station to Sri Harmandir Sahib is also in the offing. The State Govt. is also in the advance stage for implementing E-governance system which aims at to provide service delivery infrastructure in the form of Urban Suvidha Centres. The Government also is in the process of implementing energy efficient street lighting in all the ULBs in the State on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode to improve the overall energy efficiency of the ULBs which will lead to substantial savings in the electricity consumption by converting 3.5 lac street light points  to LED across the State.  Attempts are being made to avail a loan of Rs.750 crore from HUDCO to strengthen the infrastructure of ULBs.   Efforts are being made to implement the Master Plan in the ULBs so that there is no haphazard growth in the urban areas.

MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

117.            The main thrust of this Department is to ensure quality Medical Education to the students and to provide health care facilities to the people in consonance with the policies, programmes and strategies adopted by the State Government.

118.            Super Specialty of Cancer Hospital for subsidized treatment will be set up at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar and  the treatment is there at cheap rates and a imported Cobalt Machine has been purchased and is installed there and shortly being started and a conventional Radiotherapy Simulator  and 3D Treatment Planning System is also purchased for Medical College, Patiala which is started shortly. By observing the day by day increase of cancer patients, Department is deputing 12 doctors of Medical Colleges at New York (USA) for training under Slone Catering for a period of 6 to 10 weeks and those doctors will be beneficial to overcome on such a  drastic disease.

119.      To minimize the shortage of Medical Teachers in the Medical Colleges staff is being recruited shortly under “Up gradation of Govt. Medical Colleges in the State scheme”. With this State will get Specialists in different subjects who will provide better education to the students and health services to the people of Punjab.
120.    De-addiction Centers have been set up at 3 Government Medical Colleges in the State so that youths may be saved from such bad habits. In the Government Medical Colleges and hospitals at Patiala and Amritsar, CT Scan machines have been installed. The Punjab govt. has established a Guru Ravi Dass Ayurvedic University which is dedicated for popularizing Ayush .

NRI AFFAIRS

121.    My Government, under an Act, has constituted Punjab State Commission for NRIs. Retired Judge of Hon’ble High Court has been appointed as the Chairman of this Commission. The main object of the Punjab State Commission for NRIs is to redress the problems of Punjabi NRIs.

122. My government is fully alive to the problems faced by NRIs, especially with regard to disputes regarding matrimonial and property issues. We propose to fine-tune the mechanism for grievance redress in
this regard. We want the NRIs to feel a vital and vibrant part of the body politic of the state and will soon come up with some new initiatives to improve interaction with the diaspora.

PLANNING

123.          The size of Annual Plan 2011-12 was fixed at Rs. 11520 crore against Rs. 9150 crore in the year 2010-11.  The outlay for the Annual Plan 2012-13 would be substantially stepped up and special emphasis would be given to infrastructure development, power, agriculture, employment and skill development, health, education, welfare of weaker sections and women and child development.

POWER

124.            Power is one of the most vital inputs for the development and economic growth of the state and the Government is fully committed to make Punjab a power surplus state by 2013-2014. In pursuance of this
goal, this sector was put on a high growth trajectory during the last five years.Power generation in the state will witness a quantum jump with the commissioning of the three thermal projects adding up to 3920 MW that are coming up near Goindwal Sahib, Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura. All these plants are in advanced stages of construction and these units would start coming into commercial operation from November this
year.

125.            As we all know, it is not only generation of power but its simultaneous evacuation that is of utmost importance. During the previous tenure of this government, construction of 400 KV ring main for the state has taken off and Punjab will be the first state in the country to have a 400 KV ring main. It is only because of this system that transmission of power generated from the upcoming three thermal plants would be possible. 400 KV Grid Sub-Stations shall be constructed at Shri Mukatsar Sahib, Makhu, Nakodar, Dhuri and Rajpura.
In addition, the ring main will be connected to the PowerGrid system at Moga and Amritsar giving the state a very stable and robust transmission system that will  ot only improve the quality of power but also reduce losses.

126.             To bring about efficiency in the power sector and bring the transmission & distribution losses to the level of 15% by the year 2015, huge investments are also proposed in the distribution sector during the coming years by adding and augmenting new sub-stations/transformers at various levels. Similarly, agricultural
power consumers are being shifted from Low Voltage Distribution System to High Voltage Distribution System and  various I.T. initiatives are being implemented to improve the quality of services to the consumers.

127.            Recognising the socio-economic importance of agriculture and the contribution of Punjab to the food security of the nation, the Government shall continue to provide free power to the agriculture sector. Similarly, we shall continue with our policy of providing free power upto 200 units to the weaker sections of the society. The Government shall to that extent provide subsidy to the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd.

PUBLIC WORKS (BUILDING  AND ROADS)

128.            My government had accorded the top most priority to upgrade the road network in the State during the last five years.

129.            Out of 1739 Km of National Highways, 405 Kms National Highways have been upgraded to 4-lane. The work of 4/6-laning of 400 Kms. National Highways is in progress and likely to be completed during next two years. In the next five years the remaining National Highways will be widened to 4/6-lanes.

130.            Under the World Bank funded Project (Phase-I) 713 Kms of State Highways / Major District Roads has been upgraded / rehabilitated / maintained with cost of Rs. 652 crores. In Phase -II, 204 Kms. In Bathinda, Mansa and Sangrur district will be upgraded / rehabilitated / maintained with an investment of Rs. 900 crores during the next ten years.

131.            During the next five years, all major highways in the State would be widened to 4/6-laned. No major transit point would be left without the required bridge / flyover etc. Ring roads around major cities like Ludhiana will be constructed to ease traffic within the cities. Rural link road network will be further upgraded and all link roads will be repaired and new link roads will be provided wherever required including Dhanis during the next five years.

GRIEVANCES AND PENSION

132.            Special Attention is being paid by Government for redressal of Public Grievances.  This Department deals with the redressal of genuine public complaints against the administration for which a well defined machinery is operational in the State.  There are District and Sub-Divisional level Grievances Committees for the redressal of public complaints.

133.            The State of Punjab has drawn up a programme to finalize all pension cases along with other retiral benefits in such a way that the dues of a retiring Government employee are settled at the earliest and
if possible the very date of retirement of the concerned employee.

REVENUE

134.            Department of Revenue has taken up the Project of Computerization of Land Records. 147 out of 156 Fard Kendras have been operationalized and record of about 11500 villages has been computerized and the record of the remaining villages will be made online by the end of next financial year. The Integrated Computerization and Registration of Documents Project [RoD] has been started by the Department at Mohali, Jalandhar and Nakodar on pilot basis. About 2400 Jamabandis for the year 2009-10 were prepared
digitally and the same number of Jamabandis for the year 2010-11 will be prepared during the next financial year.

135.            Rs. 113 Crores were spent during the year 2011-12 on construction of Sub-Divisional Complexes and District Administrative Complexes etc. This work will be expedited during the next financial year and new fard kendras and Lawyers Chambers will be constructed in addition to the District, Sub-Divisional Administrative Complexes and Registration Offices.

136.            Stamp Duty in urban areas has been remitted if property is transferred by owner during his life time to his legal heirs. The stamp duty has been reduced from 5% to 3% when the sale deed is
executed in favour of female buyers.

137.            During the year 2011-12, the State Government sanctioned an amount of Rs. 298.00 Crores to Deputy Commissioners from SDRF and State Budget Fund for providing relief to flood protection works. My Government is taking steps for capacity building for Disaster Response. Emergency Operation Centres are being set up in 10 Districts shortly.


RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PANCHAYATS

138.            In pursuance to 73rd amendment of Constitution of India 13034 posts of  E.T.T Teachers were transferred from Education Department, 1193 Rural Medical Officers from Health and Family Welfare Department and 582 Rural Vety. Officers from Animal Husbandry Department were transferred to the Rural and Panchayat Department to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

139.            A separate Directorate namely Directorate Education (Rural Development and Panchyats) has been set up in the Rural Development and Panchayats Department for the E.T.T teachers working in Zila
parishads.

140.    During the year 2010-11 for Construction of New Building for Zila Parishad Tarn Taran 6.16 Crore has been released and further for construction of Block Development and Panchayat office, Attari an
amount of Rs.50.00 lakhs has been released. The amount of Honorarium granted to Sarpanch was enhanced  from Rs. 600/- to Rs. 1.200/- per month.

159.            During the the year 2011-12 Rs 10.00 crore has been released for upgradation/repair of 1186 Subsidiary Health Centres @ Rs. 84,000/- per Dispensary.

141.            During the years 2007-08 to 2009-10 an amount of Rs. 162 crore has been allocated at district level for improvement of water supply, sanitation and ponds Development work in villages. An amount of Rs 52
crore has been allocated at district level for improvement of water supply, sanitation and ponds Development work in villages. For construction of latrines in villages for the weaker section people during the year 2011-12 an amount of Rs. 89 crore has been approved.

142.            For the year 2011-12, Rs 692 lacs has been released by Govt. of India and Rs. 212 lacs released by Government of Punjab under Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana.

143.            During the year 2011-12 out of the total available funds Rs. 90 crores  state utilized Rs. 50 crores on the construction/upgradation of 12336 Rural Houses under Rural Housing Schemes Indira Awaas Yojana.
144.            During the 2011-12, Government of India has sanctioned 21 projects to treat 95645 hectare of land with the total cost of Rs. 115 crores Integrated Watershed Management Programme.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENVRONMENT AND NON CONVENTIONAL ENERGY

145.            Punjab Pollution Control Board  has taken a major initiativ for the cleaning of rivers in the state of Punjab. 45 towns located on/near the banks of the three major rivers namely, Satluj, Beas and Ghaggar have been identified for the installation of Sewage Treatments Plants to stop the discharge of the effluent. The cost of these STPs shall be more than Rs 2500 crores. M/s Punjab Alkalis & Chemicals Ltd., Nangal and M/s NFL, Nangal have stopped the flow of effluents into the river Sutlej.

146.            To bring more transparency and efficiency, online system has been adopted for the large scale industries. Efforts have also been made to achieve zero liquid discharge technology by CETP.

147.            My Govt. has taken steps to promote Biotechnology industry in Mohali Biotech Park on 70 acres of land in Knowledge City, Ajitgarh.

SOCIAL SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

148.            My Govt. has taken many steps  for distribution of Pensions to Old Age, Widows, Dependent Children and Disabled Persons, During  the year 2007-12 my Govt. introduced to Rs.5.50 lacs new beneficiaries and at present an amount of Rs. 580 Crores is being distributed to 19.76 lacs beneficiaries. It is proposed that the amount of pension will now be distributed through EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) system.

 149.           The Girls studying in the 11th and 12th standard in the State have been provided more than 1 lac bicycles free of cost under Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme and this scheme will be continued and expanded in
the next financial year. An amount of Rs. 62 Crores has been earmarked to fight the adverse
sex-ratio during the year 2011-12. A girl child born in the State shall be provided better education
and stipends under Bebe Nanki Laadli Beti Kalyan Scheme and after attaining the age of 18 years an amount of Rs. 21,000/- will be paid in lump sum.

150       Insurance cover to 85000 BPL families under Jan Shree Bima Yajana Scheme and 75000 landless familes under Aam Admi Bima Yojana Scheme has been provided in the budget and an amount of Rs. 85 Lacs and 75 Lacs respectively has been provided during the year 2011-12.

SPORTS AND YOUTH SERVICES

151    To encourage sports, the Govt. has taken up construction/upgradation of 6 Hockey Stadiums and 8 Multipurpose Stadiums at a cost of Rs. 127 crore. In addition, an exclusive Sports School has been opened up with modern sports infrastructure like Synthetic Hockey Ground, Athletic Track, Gymnasium and Swimming Pool at Village Ghudda (Distt. Bhatinda).

152.            5000 Multi Gyms & 9000 Sports Kits have been provided for the youth. This will also wean them away from the menace of drug addiction.

153.            To incentivise sports, cash awards have been substantially increased. Today an Olympic Gold Medal Winner will take home a cash award of 2.25 crore. Government has also created 10 Group-A posts for
the medalist of Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games.

154.        Apart from developing infrastructure and providing incentives for modern sports, Govt. is also encouraging traditional sport of Kabaddi and has made World Cup Kabaddi an annual affair which has received very enthusiastic response from the people of the State.

155.            Under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan Scheme (PYKKA), the Government is also developing play ground facilities in 1233 villages and 14 blocks every year. Each village and block gets Rs.
1.00 lac and 5.00 lacs, respectively to create sports infrastructure. 5500 Youth Clubs have been provided with the sports material worth 2.50 crores during this year.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

156.        During the last five years i.e. 2007-12, my Government has ensured substantial expansion of Technical Education and Industrial Training in the State. It has facilitated establishment of 61 new
degree level institutions, 71 new diploma level institutions and 67 new Industrial Training Institutes in the State.

157.            Apart from this, an Indian Institute of Technology at Ropar with an overall investment of Rs.1000 crore has also been established. The work on establishment of 14 Multi Disciplinary Academies with an
investment of Rs.107 crore, which would be run and managed by Punjab Technical University and 7 new Polytechnics with an investment of Rs.86.10 crore is currently underway. The State Government will also
establish an Indian Institute of Information Technology at Kapurthala.

158.            The Department of Technical Education has also started implementation of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) with assistance from the World Bank. Six Engineering Colleges
namely, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala; Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran; Guru Nank Engineering College, Ludhiana; Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering& Technology, Ferozepur; Beant College of Engineering & Technology, Gurdaspur; and Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering & Technology, Bathinda are being covered under this programme.

159.            My Government has also given greater emphasis on implementation of Skill Development Initiative under the National Skill Development Mission. 21000 trainees belonging to various disadvantageous groups of
the Society have so far been imparted training under this programme.

160.            My Government has also given greater focus on implementation of Fee Waiver Scheme as per the guidelines of AICTE to ensure easy access to technical education for students belonging to weaker sections of
the Society.

TOURISM

161.       The State is all poised to take a giant leap on basis of development of tourism and becoming tourist favoured destination in the country with varied tourism products .

162.            The “Infrastructure Development Investment Programme for Tourism (IDIPT) includes two international gateways- Amritsar and Mohali and consists of two  circuits viz, eastern circuit comprising of Mohali, Patiala, (Anandpur Sahib) Ropar & Fatehgarh Sahib districts and the western circuit comprising of Kapurthala (Sultanpur Lodi), Amritsar& Gurdaspur Districts.  In the first trench, total investment cost will
be 29 million dollar.

163.            The Department of Tourism has set up the Institute of Hotel management Bathinda and Food Craft Institute Hoshiarpur for providing Hospitality Education for Degree/Diploma courses. Besides this, the
Government is introducing the Hospitality courses in five Government Colleges and eleven Industrial Training Institutes in Punjab. The hospitality courses likely to be started in the next academic session
2012-13.

164.            The Department of Tourism has already undertaken the work of Bathinda, Ludhiana, Bhaini Sahib , Chamkaur Sahib , Fatehgarh Sahib and Sangrur to develop as a  Tourist Destination .Pilgrim circuit and Freedom Trails have also been developed. Two Heritage Walls in Amritsar have been started, which a very successful.

TRANSPORT

165.     With more than 3000 buses in the fleet of Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS/PRTC, the Transport Department is committed to provide quality travelling facility to the public. The Department has
introduced Integral and HVAC buses at a very low fare to enable the common man to travel in AC buses. City Bus Service has been introduced in Jalandhar and  Ludhiana. Motor Cab/Maxi Cab scheme has been
introduced for linking villages to the main roads. Similarly Radio Cab Scheme has been introduced in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Mohali.

166.    New Composite Fee Regime has been introduced in the State and now the National Permits are being issued to the Goods Carriers for whole of India after charging a composite fee of Rs.15000/- per annum.
The Department has also computerized the work relating to the issue of Registration Certificates and Driving Licences as also online payment of taxes. As a first, Principals of colleges/universities have been authorized to issue Learners’ Driving Licence to their own college students and also authorized to take driving test for issue of Regular Driving Licence.

167.    Free/concessional travel facilities to the tune of Rs.65 crore per annum are being provided to the widows, handicapped persons, freedom fighters, students etc. by the Punjab Roadways and PRTC. New bus stands have been constructed at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Phagwara. A modern air-conditioned bus stand is near completion at Mohali.

VIGILANCE

168.    Government is keen to eradicate corruption amongst the public servants. As a result of concerted drive launched by the Vigilance Bureau, in 139 cases, convictions were made by various courts and accused were sentenced to undergo imprisonment ranging from 6 months to 6 years and fines  ranging from Rs. 1000/- to Rs. 1,00,000/- were imposed.

WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION

169.  My government has started a major initiative to provide clean drinking water and sanitation facilities in rural and urban areas.

170.    As mark of appreciation of the work done by my Government Govt. of India (GOI) awarded an amount of Rs 50 Crore as additional grant (bonus) over and above the approved allocation of Rs.82 Crores
for 2011-12 for covering 5438 villages with safe water supply, coverage of all 16028 rural schools with water supply and sanitation facilities and coverage of 14977 Anganwadies located in Govt buildings
with water & sanitation facilities.

203.    1399 Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants in Southern districts of the State have been installed to provide alternate water supply arrangement to the rural people &   412 more RO plants are expected to
be installed by 31-03-2012.

204.    Govt. of India has awarded Nirmal Gram Puraskars to 147 Villages from Punjab during last three years.

205.    During 2012-13, it is proposed to cover all the remaining 646 NC (Main & Others) and 827 PC Habitations with potable water supply. In addition to above, the State Govt. has accorded priority for the coverage of all habitations particularly those inhabited predominantly by SC and BC population, in the villages of State.

WELFARE OF SC & BC

171.            The State Govt. is committed to safeguard the interests of SCs, BCs and Minorities. As per census 2001 SC population in the state is 70.28 lac which constitute about 28.85 %. Total budget allocation of
welfare schemes for the year 2011-12 is Rs. 665  crores out of which Rs. 469 crores (71%) are to be spent under educational development schemes and Rs. 195 crores (29%) for other socio-economic  and other
development schemes. During the last five years the State Govt had spent an amount of Rs. 828 crores under various welfare programmes.

172.            Financial assistance @ Rs. 15,000/- per beneficiary is given as Shagun on the marriage of daughters of  Scheduled Castes, Christians, Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Families, daughters of widows
of any caste and widows/divorcees on their re-marriage. During last five years an amount of Rs. 297 crore has been spent to give benefit to 1,98,166 beneficiaries.

208.            My Govt. has prepared a fresh blue print for the welfare of these sections of society, which is in line with the vision outlinesin the manifesto of the partners in my government.

DEFENCE SERVICES WELFARE

173.   Punjab has 3 lac Ex-servicemen/widows and approximately 60 lacs soldiers from 3 wings of Armed Forces, and 2.5 million dependant members. My Govt. has provided them monetary benefits, grants, old age
pension, war jagir, self employment, coaching and providing on the job skill to dependents of Ex-servicemen To implement 13% reservation quota in Punjab and PSUs in the State.  Besides, the Sainik Rest Houses are established all over Punjab for their comfortable stay.

174.            My Govt. distributed benefits successfully to 7179 Ex-servicemen in year 2011-12 and data of 3, 35,264 of Ex-servicemen, widows have been computerized. This data is available on the website to give them
entitled benefits.

175.            My Govt proposes to open 6 new learning –cum-training centres under the aegis of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar in the districts of  Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Kapurthala, Ludhaina, Patiala
and Sangrur which requires the budget allocation of Rs. 50 Crore to enhance  welfare measures of 2.5 million Ex-servicemen and their families.

SCHOOL EDUCATION

176.            There are 36293   Primary, Middle, Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools in the State, wherein 39.78 lakh students have been enrolled during the academic session   2011-12. Of the total enrolment,  22.13 lakh are the boys and 17.65 lakh are girls getting education in these schools.

177.            The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for primary and upper primary
classes are 94.23 % and 76.79 % respectively, whereas, Net Enrolment Ration (NER) is 87.27 for primary and 70.47 for upper primary classes. As per the provisions of R.T.E Act, 2009, there is proposal to open 20 new primary schools and 21 new upper primary schools during the year 2012-13.

178.            During the last five years, a total no. of 53961 officials have been recruited, out of which 50395 belongs to the teaching and 3566 non-teaching cadre. 11997 employees of various teaching cadre have
also been promoted. Whereas the promotion of 3794 employees to be promoted as Headmasters and Lecturers are also at the final stage. Services of nearly 13998 Teaching Fellows and Service Providers have
also been regularized w.e.f. 01-04-2011. 6771 teachers belonging to Panchyaty Raj Institutions have also been taken in the Education Department.
179.            Pension to the Private Aided School employees, has been revived. The arrears to the retirees upto 31-5-2003 have been fixed to be paid in five installments and 1st Installment of Rs. 65.00 Crore have been released for 2462 retirees during the year   2011-12.

180.            For improving the quality of school education in rural areas, 128 sites of Adarsh Schools by Punjab Education Development Board have been indentified during the year 2008  Which are at various stages of construction now.  For encouraging sports in the State, one Sports School at village Ghuddha (Bathinda) has been set up during the year 2011. Besides, 21 Model schools in the Backward Blocks of the State have
also been set up on C.B.S.E. pattern during the year 2011-12, for which an amount of 72.00 Crore have been spent.
181.              The Chief Minister of my Government Sardar Parkash Singh Badal has always been a symbol of truly constructive democratic values in the country. Under his inspiring and visionary nationalistic leadership, my government seeks and offers full cooperation to the Opposition in the sacred task of taking Punjab forward and making it one of the finest destinations in the world.
182.              I wish to close by reiterating the commitment of my government to justice for all based on the supremacy of the rule of law.  I also wish to reiterate that my Government accords the highest priority to peace and communal harmony in the state. This is in pursuance of the ideals set before us by the great Gurus, Saints and Seers.

183.              With these words, I thank you again. I have no doubt that the esteemed members will contribute to discussions in the House in a most constructive manner, for the greater glory of our state. I wish to close with the words which the Chief Minister has often spoken here. : Punjab belongs to all of us. So does my government. Together, we will work towards a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Punjab.