Gurpurab Greetings Birthday of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji (January 31) 2 Punjab Advance August 2016 Editorial hat the previous government could not achieve in 10 years, the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government has done in 10 months: It has Wbrought a smile on the face of the debt-ridden farmers. The first Sunday of the New Year (2018) was a momentous day for Punjab, when a sea of farming community descended on Mansa to listen to the people’s Chief Minister’s loan- waiver greetings. In a symbolic gesture he handed over loan waiver certificates to 10 farm- ers from the districts of Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Moga. The Opposition had to eat their words as the Captain went about fulfilling one prom- ise after another, culminating in the biggest poll promise of farm debt-waiver. Loan-waiver certificates for Rs 2,700 crore are being distributed to 5.63 lakh farmers in the first phase, with a total of 10.25 lakh farmers being covered in four phases. There is a ray of hope for the farm labourers also. The CM promised that even the farm labourers would be taken care of once the state’s fiscal condition stabilizes. The other key issues that have been well handled have been drugs and industry. The new industrial policy has given a new lease of life to the state’s industry which had been wit- nessing bad times in the past 10 years, resulting in the closure of a number of big indus- trial units. The new policy has attracted large-scale investments which will open big employment avenues for the youth in the New Year. That the government has been able to show tangible results in just nine months is a big achievement, considering the empty coffers it inherited from the previous government. With the drug menace also under control, the year 2018 will bring more good tidings for the youth. The Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has shared the government’s rough ride and achievements in his New Year message to his Punjabi brethren and spelt out his resolve for the four-plus years. We begin this issue with the message. Looking forward to your word on the magazine. January - 2018 Punjab Advance 3 Contents Punjab Advance www.punjabadvanceonline.com Loan waiver is CM’s new year gift to farmers LJANUARY - 2018 LVOL-5 L ISSUE-1 C.E.O. N Gurkirat Kirpal Singh (IAS) Editor N Donald Banerjee Designer N Kumar Jiv Chumber Publisher N Information & Public Relations Department, Punjab 06 Contact address N Affordable housing PUNJAB ADVANCE, Room No. 1, 5th Floor, for all Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001 Ph. : 0172-2740668 [email protected] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors in the articles published in PUNJAB ADVANCE are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Punjab Government or the organization they work for. Editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or expand the articles submitted. In case of any dispute, legal 12 jurisdiction will lie in Chandigarh based courts. Published and Edited by Gurkirat Kirpal Singh (IAS) on behalf of the Information and Shashi Kapoor—the Public Relations Department, Punjab at Room No. 1, 5th Floor, Civil Sectt., first cross-over star Chandigarh. Page-42 4 Punjab Advance January - 2018 Shrimp farming Changing face of wasteland Cong sweeps civic polls 20 14 Green canopy of native trees CM unveils package for Anandpur Sahib 30 A job in social media 18 Workout in winter 34 Page-44 January - 2018 Punjab Advance 5 Promises delivered, more on way Captain Amarinder Singh Chief Minister, Punjab he year 2017 was with open arms to bring them out of depth of the havoc which the erst- momentous for Punjab, the debris of ruin into which they had while government had wreaked on whoseT people voted for a much- been plunged over the previous our beloved state, we realised that the needed political change. decade. task before us was daunting to the Today, as I look back at the year To say that I felt humbled by this extreme. We had the option of sitting gone by, I recall that moment when, mandate would be an understate- and crying, and spending the next on March 11, I received the people’s ment. I, and I am sure every other one year blaming the Akali-BJP mandate to lead the state into the fu- member of our party, was truly over- leadership for what they had done ture. There was, of course, a lot of whelmed as we took on the onerous to the state, or getting down to ful- anger in that mandate against the responsibility which the people had previous regime. More importantly, handed over to us. filling our poll promises one by one. however, there was much hope and It took us some time to come to We chose the latter. optimism, as the people of Punjab terms with the harsh realities facing Nine months is hardly any time to welcomed the Congress government us, and as we started unravelling the judge the success or failure of a 6 Punjab Advance January - 2018 government elected for five years, and rice, which has helped bring pension and financial assistance especially considering the mess we some semblance of security back under the Ashirwad scheme, besides inherited on every front. Yet, we have into the lives of our beleaguered increase in reservation for OBCs in managed to not only implement farmers. educational institutions and for SCs many of our key election promises Moving now to another critical in all government schemes, are but, in fact, have set the ball rolling promise of my government, the new some of the measures we have im- for the others. It is not my intention industrial policy, complete with plemented on this count. Women here to list out all the work we have power subsidy and an end to the free empowerment, rural and urban in- done in this short period of time. reign of the transport unions, is al- frastructure development, in addition But it does give me pleasure to share ready a reality. And it has started to improvement in education and some of the promised tasks we have showing tangible results by bringing health welfare, have also been high successfully executed. And let me in substantial investment and busi- on our implementation agenda. clarify that I am doing so, not ness to the state, which had been wit- From improved law and order, to because I want to brag about our nessing large-scale closure of decline in the cases of sacrilege, the achievements but, more importantly, industries over the past 10 years. to put an end to the Opposition’s From contributing to the state’s eco- overall enrichment in the lives of campaign to mislead the people nomic development, to generating the people of Punjab is not some- of the state with their blatant deceits the much-needed employment for thing that even the most pessimist and falsehoods. our youth, I see this policy yielding can easily deny. It was my promise Let me begin by talking about the excellent results in the new year, and to bring to book those responsible for crop loan waiver issue, which the ahead. victimisation of innocent people Opposition has been trying to use as Drugs is another issue on which, through false cases, and the process a missile to fire at my government at notwithstanding the Opposition’s at- is well under way. every opportunity. Frankly, we could tempts to project the contrary, our ac- As mentioned earlier, this is not a have easily taken refuge in the stark complishment on the ground is comprehensive list. But this should reality of empty coffers to push back self-evident. For those who do not suffice to show the commitment the implementation of this promise, believe in numbers (though there with which we have embarked on which has a huge financial implica- are enough numbers to show that our our journey to bring Punjab’s devel- tion. We chose not to do that, as we efforts to destroy the drug mafia have opment and growth back on track. realised the gravity of the problems resulted in resounding success), I The beginning has been made, and faced by the farmers, as a result of would like to point to the virtual non- made well. And as they say, well the lopsided policies of the previous availability of drugs in the open begun is half done. Themomen- government. market to show that we have, well tumhasbeensetfor the next four-plus A few days from now, I will be and truly, succeeded in breaking the years that we still have to go. And, if formally launching the farm debt backbone of the drug mafia. need be, I am quite prepared to take - waiver scheme, which will Some of the big fish might have on the mantle of Punjab’s gover- eventually go on to benefit 10.25 managed to evade arrest so far, but nance again after the end of this term lakh of the worst-hit farmers in the the day is not far when they would to ensure that the state is not thrown state. This will be in addition to all land in the police net, and meet the the other steps we have taken for the fate that is inevitable, considering the back on the path of regression from welfare of the farming community, seriousness of their crime. which it has just started to recover. including abolition of kurki, take- An important aspect of our My promises are sacrosanct, and I over of loans of farmers who com- accomplishments so far, which defi- will stand by them, whatever it takes mitted suicide, and hike in kharaba nitely requires mention here, is the for me and my government.