: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said that the Centre cannot hamper Punjab’s development by stopping grants as the state is self reliant and feeds the whole country.
Talking to media persons during his surprise visit to the tehsil office here, Mann said that Punjabis were an affluent community and just a call away when funds are needed for a good cause.
“The Central government had a misconception that it could hamper Punjab’s development by stopping grants. Punjab is not only self reliant but also feeds the whole country. The Punjabi community is known worldwide for its philanthropy. It can contribute any amount in no time,” he said.
The Centre stopped ₹623 crore grant under the National Health Mission (NHM) over the contentious issue of naming Aam Aadmi Clinics. The Union government has recently said that it will withhold more than ₹1,800 crore under a separate scheme to provide capital investment assistance to states. The CM recently slammed the Centre for not releasing the state’s share of the rural development fund (RDF).
Earlier, during his visit to the tehsil complex, he enquired from the public if they faced any problem in getting their work done. Most of the people expressed satisfaction at the functioning but few of them complained about delays and complex land mutation process. The CM was accompanied by revenue minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa.
Mann said he had come to the tehsil office to get first hand information about the implementation of citizen centric schemes of the government. He directed the deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police to set up camp offices in the tehsil to guide people about the procedures to be followed for their work. He said the world had advanced but people, at ground level, were still grappling with the old governance system.
{{/usCountry}}Mann said he had come to the tehsil office to get first hand information about the implementation of citizen centric schemes of the government. He directed the deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police to set up camp offices in the tehsil to guide people about the procedures to be followed for their work. He said the world had advanced but people, at ground level, were still grappling with the old governance system.
{{/usCountry}}“We have initiated reforms and the results will gradually start showing up,” he said.