Power minister promises 8-hour supply to farmers in paddy season

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 24

Terming the tossing of the turban of an AAP MLA in Punjab Assembly as unfortunate, State Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh today said it is possible that the turban might have got tossed around in the tussle with the marshals at the assembly.

Quoting the Bargarhi incident, the minister alleged that during the SAD regime in Punjab, turbans of Sikhs were tossed around along even as they were protesting peacefully.

Rana Gurjit Singh was here today to inaugurate a 66 KV power sub-station that was dedicated to the people.

Taking a dig at the bonhomie between the SAD-BJP alliance and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the assembly session, the minister said the ‘helpless was leading the clueless’ overcome the agony of a crushing defeat in the Vidhan Sabha elections.

Addressing the gathering, the minister said the state government was committed to supplying uninterrupted power supply to the farmers for eight hours during the paddy season. He also batted for giving the domestic customers regular power supply at an affordable rate.

Rana said the freezing of electricity tariff for the new and existing industries at Rs 5 per unit would give the much needed impetus to industry in the state.

The Power Minister said the state government has come to the rescue of the state’s beleaguered farmers by waiving their loans and putting an end to the auction (kurki) of their land. He said the present Congress government has presented a visionary and pro-people budget aimed at giving a boost to the economy of the state.

Rana said the budget would give an impetus to the progress of the state and put it on a high growth trajectory. “In its maiden budget, our government has taken care of every strata of society,” he added.

Earlier, welcoming the Cabinet Minister, MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment, Pargat Singh lauded the minister for taking a farsighted decision to supply power to the industry at Rs 5 per unit.

MLA Pargat Singh expressed the hope that Punjab would scale new heights under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.