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Next Punjab cabinet meeting at Dera Baba Nanak on Sept 19
To ensure that it can monitor preparations for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the first Sikh master, Guru Nank, the Punjab cabinet will hold its next
To ensure that it can monitor preparations for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the first Sikh master, Guru Nank, the Punjab cabinet will hold its next meeting in Dera Baba Nanak on September 19. This historic town in Gurdaspur district, along the Indo-Pak international border, only 7km from Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur in Pakistan, was the last resting place of Guru Nanak. The celebrations that began a year ago are to culminate with a grand event in November at Sultanpur Lodhi.
“The chief minister has scheduled the next cabinet meeting at Dera Baba Nanak,” said Punjab co-operation and jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa during his visit to Government Senior Secondary School for Girls in the town on Friday. He added that the 700-strength school will be converted into a smart, model school at a cost of ₹40 lakh.
On the cabinet meeting, he added, “We will review the progress of projects such as the Kartarpur corridor and also of work done on sprucing up Dera Baba Nanak.”
He added, “Beautification projects are in full swing in the town; a park is being developed. A metallic statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will also be erected in the main chowk of the town. Another ₹7 crore have been sanctioned for the development of the main-street.”
He added the town was being developed as a city of fragrance by planting different kinds of flowers. “After completing his Udasis (religious journeys), Guru Nanak gave the message of doing kirat (work honestly to earn) and even cultivated land here. To commemorate this, we want a skill development centre to be established here.”
On the row between the state government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) over joint celebrations of the anniversary, Randhawa said, “I will not indulge in religion-based politics. This politics is done by Badals through the SGPC. I will continue to do sewa (service) assigned to me.”
