PTI
Ludhiana (Punjab), August 2
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday handed over cheques worth Rs 101 crore to 25,000 beneficiaries for the construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
Addressing a gathering after handing over cheque of Rs 1.75 lakh to each beneficiary, Mann said the state government is duty bound to ensure well-being of every strata of society, especially the weaker and underprivileged sections.
He said it is the bounden duty of the government to provide “roti” (food), “kapda” (clothes) and “makaan” (house) to all the residents of the state.
Mann said that in a welfare state, money for these pro-people initiatives come from tax collected from masses.
Mann said while his predecessors made rhetoric that the state exchequer is empty, his government is spending every single penny from the state treasury for public welfare.
He said there was no dearth of funds earlier but the successive state governments lacked the vision and will to use these funds for the well-being of people.
Mann said the funds at that time used to go in the pockets of the corrupt leaders but his government has checked this pilferage with a heavy hand and now this fund is being used for welfare of masses.
Due to incompetent and corrupt leaders, people lost faith in the political leadership of the state, he said while slamming rival political leaders.
However in the assembly polls held in the year 2022, he said, the people of the state reposed huge trust in him for which he will always remain indebted to them.
Mann said his government is making every effort to uphold this confidence of people by ensuring the welfare of every section of society and giving impetus to development of the state.
While expressing concern over the fatalities due to road accidents in the state, Mann said in order to save precious lives of people, his government has decided to form first of its kind ‘Road Safety Force’ to streamline the movement of traffic.
Mann said that daily around 14 precious lives are lost in road accidents in Punjab, adding that this can be checked by manning the roads well for which ‘Road Safety Force’ has been formed.
Mann said this force will be entrusted with the task of checking rash driving and streamlining vehicular movement on roads.
#Bhagwant Mann
