Amritsar, February 12
Days ahead of Congress’ manifesto, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, seeking a re-election from the Amritsar East seat, released his ‘Punjab Model’ on the social media today.
The model comes days after party leader Rahul Gandhi announced Charanjit Singh Channi as the party’s CM candidate. Rahul had said features of Sidhu’s model would be incorporated into the party manifesto.
Releasing the blueprint of his model, he said it drew inspiration from the Gurmat philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev besides incorporating vision of former PM Rajiv Gandhi to empower panchayats and urban local bodies.
Key proposals
- Corporations for liquor and sand mining
- 5 lakh jobs in next 5 years; pay hike for ASHA workers
- Advertisement and publicity policy
- Minimum support price for oil, oil seeds and maize
- Interest-free loan for women entrepreneurs
- Rs5 lakh health insurance cover for all
- 23 de-addiction centres in each district of the state
- Rs1000/month scholarship to needy students
The 13-point agenda involves raising farm income, women empowerment, healthcare, labour reforms, governance reforms, social reforms, skilling and entrepreneurship, industry, law and order, environment and civic amenities, law and order, stress on digitalisation, and education.
Roadmap to prosperity
New system erases mafia from Punjab, fills coffers to double them for people’s welfare. —Navjot Sidhu, PCC Chief
It suggests a government portal to announce its financial condition; corporations for liquor and sand mining; plying of buses on long routes only by PRTC and PUNBUS; licences for rural youth to ply short-route buses; and advertisement and publicity policy.
It further bats for funding to panchayats for creating storage facilities; MSP on oil, oil seeds and maize; besides subsidy for diversification and equipment procurement to farmers owning less than five acres.
For women, it envisions providing tablets to schoolgirls; Rs 2,000 and eight LPG refills a year; no registration fee for properties; interest-free loan to women entrepreneurs.
The document says five lakh jobs will be created in the next five years and offers pay hike for ASHA, anganwadi and mid-day workers. Besides, Rs 5 lakh health insurance will be provided to all.
Reacting to the PCC chief’s ‘Punjab Model’, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, “it is misleading. The bad condition of his constituency reflects his true model.”
Farmers free to protest: Dikshit
After Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu asked PM Narendra Modi to come to the state for canvassing by air and avoid road travel, AICC secretary Sandeep Dikshit called upon farmer leaders to stage protests during his upcoming visit to Punjab. Dikshit was here to campaign for Sidhu in Amritsar East. He said while anyone could canvass freely in the state, farmers were also free to express their resentment over non-fulfulment of demands.
Days ahead of polls, Sidhu unveils his ‘Punjab Model’
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