AAP Government in Punjab Completes One Year, CM Bhagwant Mann Promises to Turn State Into 'Rangla Punjab'

Chandigarh/New Delhi, Mar 16: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday listed out the achievements of the AAP government on its first anniversary and promised to accelerate the state's progress to turn it into 'Rangla Punjab'.

Mann said that his government will now "shift to the second gear of progress" and raise the standard of living of the poor. He also said the AAP government will start Schools of Eminence for students.

"Since we did so much work in the first year, we will now shift to the second gear of progress. Big industrialists are keen to invest in Punjab, they will set up their units and it will create jobs," the chief minister said in a video message. Punjab Government Exempts 2.25% Stamp Duty, Fee For Land Registrations Till March End.

"Our motive is not (to form) the next government. Generally, parties start looking at how their next government will be formed. We are saying people have made the government. Our priority is to take our next generation forward and raise the standard of living of the poor," Mann said. Punjab: CCTV Cameras To Be Installed at 15,584 Government Schools, Says State Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.

AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Twitter that many of the promises made to the people of Punjab have been fulfilled in the first year of his party's government in the state and other promises will be fulfilled in the coming years.

"On this day a year ago, the new hopes of the people of Punjab had taken oath. Punjab's hope on AAP has now become a trust," he tweeted in Hindi.

"Many promises made to the public have been fulfilled in this one year, some will be fulfilled in the coming years. We will fulfill each and every promise made to the people of Punjab in five years," Kejriwal said, adding, "We will make Rangla (vibrant) Punjab."

In the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, the Aam Aadmi Party won 92 of the total 117 seats.

"Within one year, we gave 26,797 government jobs," Mann said, adding 87 per cent of the households in the state got zero electricity bills. He also said that a decision to regularise the services of 14,000 temporary employees in the education department and 14,000 in other departments has been taken.

Services of outsourced employees will also be regularised after removing "legal hurdles", he said.

Asserting that his government was working towards turning the state into a 'Rangla (vibrant) Punjab', Mann said, "If you have shown faith in me and then keep the faith. I will never break your faith."

The chief minister said that his government will start a "very big campaign" against drugs.

On the agriculture front, Mann said his government gave MSP on 'moong' crop and Rs 1,500 per acre for promoting direct seeding of rice and also cleared sugarcane dues of Rs 392 crore.

More than 500 mohalla clinics have been opened in Punjab and 12-15 lakh people have availed healthcare services at these facilities, he said and termed it his government's "big achievement".

Mann also spoke about sacrilege incidents and accused the previous governments of doing nothing to ensure justice in the matter. He said his party had promised to deliver justice in cases related to the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.

Referring to the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident, he said a 7,000-page chargesheet was filed and there was no "political interference" in the probe carried out by the Punjab Police special investigation team.

Asserting that his government has zero tolerance towards corruption, claimed that his government took strict action in graft cases. Many former ministers are in jail and action has been taken not only against influential people but also against those who belonged to the ruling AAP, Mann added. The AAP was born out of an anti-corruption movement, he said.