Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday said the government would soon come out with a special comprehensive programme to boost the development of Kandi region and ensure the prosperity of its residents.
Badal claimed that whatever progress had taken place so far in Kandi belt "had only been initiated by the SAD-BJP government, while the successive Congress governments had totally ignored the development of this region."
The special program for the region would be instrumental in transforming the circumstances of the people "living here in distress over past several years."
After laying the foundation stone of the 16 kms long Kullar-Sarai Ka Pattan road in Ropar district, he also said a two-day Sangat Darshan Programme would be held there.
Lashing out at the Congress-led UPA government, the Chief Minister alleged that the Union government had indirectly encroached upon the rights of the states by imposing conditions on grants given to them. These grants were funded by taxes collected from the states themselves.
While emphasising on cordial Centre-state relations, he claimed that Punjab had suffered "a tremendous loss because of the Centre`s anti-Punjab and anti-farmer policies."
The Centre was "indebting the poor by exorbitantly hiking the price of petrol, diesel and LPG at regular intervals and now they were again planning to hike the diesel price," he also claimed.
The promise by the SAD-BJP government on making Punjab a surplus state in the power sector would be fulfilled with the completion of three thermal power plants at Rajapura, Talwandi Sabo and Gowindwal Sahib, he said.
On the issue of FDI in retail, Badal said SAD was not in favour of it as this would directly affect the domestic retail business.
PTI
