
AAP govt will transform roads leading to all religious sites: Harbhajan Singh ETO
While addressing a political conference organised by the ruling AAP on the occasion of Rakhar Punya, a Sikh festival commemorating the discovery of Guru Teg Bahadur as the ninth Sikh Guru by Baba Makhan Shah Lubana, the minister said the AAP government had fulfilled almost all guarantees that were promised to the people before the elections.
Except him, no big face of the ruling AAP turned up at the event, despite chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal being in Tarn Taran district.
Referring to the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, ETO invited the 'sangat' to participate in these programmes, and announced that before September 5, the memorial of Bhai Jaita at Anandpur Sahib, built at a cost of around ₹20 crore, will be inaugurated to formally commence these events.
The minister declared that the infrastructure of villages and towns blessed by Guru Teg Bahadur's presence will be transformed. He added that in just three and a half years, the Bhagwant Mann government had accomplished as much work as previous governments could not in 75 years.
He highlighted the provision of 600 units of free electricity to every household, major improvements in the power sector, uninterrupted eight-hour daytime electricity supply to farmers and the purchase of a thermal plant from the private sector by the Punjab government.
Referring to the 'corrupt coal purchasing practices' of previous governments for their personal gain, he said, 'We have stopped that racket and begun using our own coal mines, which has brought significant economic benefits to the power department. Today, the power department is earning profits of over ₹2,500 crore.'
He further announced that soon the chief minister will provide medical insurance worth ₹10 lakh to every household, which will permanently remove the burden of medicine expenses from common people's pockets. Speaking about the war against drugs, the minister said so far, ministers, MLAs, constituency in-charges and other party leaders had visited over 7,000 villages and towns to spread the message against drugs.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- Indian Express
Bill regulating fees in private schools to bring greater transparency, accountability: Delhi CM
Delhi government is committed to ensuring quality education for every child in the national capital, and the recently-passed Bill to regulate fees in private schools will bring greater transparency and accountability in the institutions, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference, Gupta said the Delhi School Education (Fee Determination and Transparency in Regulation) Bill, 2025, which was passed in Delhi Assembly on Friday, seeks to prevent arbitrary fee hikes and make private schools accessible to children from all sections of society, including those from underprivileged backgrounds. 'There are 1,733 private schools in Delhi, nearly 300 of which were given land at concessional rates by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA),' Gupta said. 'Under the new law, the director of education will have powers equivalent to those of a sub-divisional magistrate to take action against schools violating norms, including freezing bank accounts and attaching property,' she added. The chief minister said the provisions will apply to all the private schools in Delhi, not just those allotted DDA land, and that fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh will be imposed for unauthorised fee hikes, with the penalty doubling in case of delayed payment. Gupta said the Bill was drafted after consultations with education experts and parents, with a focus on protecting parents' interests without putting undue pressure on the schools. Criticising the previou AAP government, she alleged that despite tall claims of an education revolution, the sector was plagued by corruption and inefficiency. 'If you were truly concerned about education, why didn't you create a legal framework to control school fees in the past 27 years,' she asked the AAP and the Congress, which were in power during that period. The chief minister also said that schools will now have to justify any proposed fee hike based on factors such as location, facilities, expenditure, and teaching quality, and that parents will have the veto power over such increases. 'This Bill is a shield for the dreams of Delhi's children. No one will be allowed to put a price on their aspirations,' she added.


Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
SP leader ST Hasan blames ‘bulldozer action' for Uttarakhand floods, sparks row
Samajwadi Party leader ST Hasan has sparked a row with his remarks linking flash floods in Uttarakhand to the bulldozer action against religious sites in the state. The remark has received backlash from several parties, including the BJP and the opposition, calling out the SP leader for 'spreading hate'. Samajwadi Party leader ST Hasan also said that deforestation and damage to ecosystem are also reasons behind such natural calamities. (Screengrab/X/@ANI) The SP leader's remark came in response to the couldburst in Uttarakashi, which left five people dead. Responding to Hasan's remark, Congress' Member of Parliament Imran Masoor said such remarks are made by 'mentally disturbed' people. "Mentally disturbed people make such statements. They should fear Allah. They should not say things that spread hatred," Masood told ANI. What ST Hasan said SP leader ST Hasan drew a parallel to the natural calamity in Uttarakhand to the bulldozer action on religious structures. He also pointed out to deforestation and damage to the ecosystem, leading to the disaster. Even after receiving backlash, Hasan has stood by his remarks. 'It is not just cloud bursts. There are other natural calamities occurring. The reason for this is that our ecosystem has been badly damaged. Our forests are being cut down indiscriminately. Secondly, we all believe in our creator, whether we are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or places where the Almighty is worshipped, whether it is a mosque, dargah or temple, bulldozers should not be run on them. You may get them vacated, but let them remain standing,' he told ANI. Backlash on ST Hasan's remarks Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Danish Azad Ansari also reacted to Hasan's remarks and said that tragedies such as the one that struck Uttarakhand should not be mocked. He added that leaders of the Samajwadi Party should be a little 'sensitive'. "Mocking such a tragedy doesn't suit the leaders of SP. Even in such a tragic incident, they are conspiring to score politically. This is not appropriate at all. SP leaders should be a little sensitive," the UP minister said. BJP's spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also accused Hasan of communalising a 'natural tragedy' and that for Samajwadi Party, 'even death & disaster are filtered through Hindu–Muslim lenses.' 'Former SP MP ST Hasan communalises a natural tragedy — insults Hindus & downplays the suffering of Uttarkashi's Dharali villagers after the cloudburst,' he wrote in a post on X. 'Shame on Samajwadi Party!' he added. (With inputs from ANI)


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
'India not going to reap long-term security by siding with US...': Economist Jeffrey Sachs on Trump's tariffs
Renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs criticised U.S. policy toward India, stating that 'U.S. politicians do not care about India' and emphasising that India is 'a great power' unlikely to gain any real security advantage by aligning with the U.S. in the Quad against China, according to a report by the Hindustan Times. His remarks came in response to President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 50% tariff on imports from India. 1. 'US politicians don't care at all about India. Please understand this. India is not going to reap long-term security by siding with the United States in the Quad against China," said Sachs during an interview with Hindustan Times. 2. 'India is a great power that has an independent standing in the world. Everything that Trump is doing on tariffs is unconstitutional,' he added. 3 . 'When I was in India in the spring, I said, Don't count on some great trade relationship. What India has hoped for, I believe, is that it would be a good partner of the United States because it would be a way for the US to, I'll put it charitably, reduce its dependence on China and increase supply chains with India. I tried to explain, don't count on that,' said Sachs, as reported by HT. 4. When questioned about India and China relations in the aftermath of the border clashes, Professor Sachs said ' a good economic relationship between' the two nations 'would be wonderful for India's economy," and good for 'building a multipolar world that isn't dependent on the US's whims.' 5. Explaining his rationale behind the advice, Sachs stated that China is a much larger economy as compared to the US, with the nation's international trade much bigger. Following the imposition of a 50% tariff on Indian imports, U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out any trade negotiations with India until the tariff dispute is settled. 'No, not until we get it resolved,' Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office on Thursday. (With inputs from agencies)