Chandigarh, April 7
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced a major package of healthcare and infrastructure projects in Hoshiarpur on Tuesday. The state government says the ₹385 crore schemes will improve access to medical care, rural health services, and road connectivity in the area.
At the centre of the announcement was a new medical college and 300-bed hospital in Hoshiarpur, to be built at a cost of ₹268 crore. The institution, to be named the Shaheed Udham Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences, is expected to be completed within two years and will train 100 MBBS students every year, according to the government.
Speaking at Sham Chaurasi, Mann said the project was designed to bring advanced treatment closer to people in the district, with facilities expected to include MRI and CT scan services, specialised surgeries and other modern medical care. He described it as part of his government’s push to strengthen public healthcare and medical education in Punjab.
Alongside the medical college, Mann also laid the foundation stone for a ₹9.18 crore Community Health Centre, which the government said would serve more than 40 villages in the area. Seven additional Health and Wellness Centres were also announced for the constituency as part of the effort to improve last-mile healthcare delivery in rural pockets.
The chief minister also launched a major road project worth ₹99 crore on the Balachaur–Garhshankar–Hoshiarpur–Dasuya route. The 105-km corridor is expected to improve connectivity between Chandigarh, Pathankot and Jammu and Kashmir, while also cutting travel time between Jammu and Delhi. The road is also likely to benefit pilgrims travelling to Anandpur Sahib, Mata Naina Devi and Mata Jwala Ji.
Mann used the occasion not only to showcase development projects but also to make a broader political case for his government’s performance. He said Punjab had suffered for decades because of what he described as the failures of traditional parties, and argued that his administration had put the state back on a stronger development path over the past four years.
He said the projects launched in Sham Chaurasi reflected a wider effort to build what he called a “Rangla Punjab”, with public money being directed towards hospitals, schools, roads and welfare rather than political patronage.
The chief minister also highlighted several of his government’s flagship schemes, including the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, under which all 65 lakh families in Punjab are to receive health cards entitling them to free treatment of up to ₹10 lakh. He said more than 30 lakh cards had already been issued and around 1.65 lakh people had received treatment under the scheme.
He also referred to the government’s free power scheme, employment claims and anti-drug campaign, while announcing that under the proposed Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna, women would receive monthly financial support of ₹1,000, rising to ₹1,500 for women from Scheduled Caste communities.
But the event was also marked by a sharp political attack. Mann accused opposition parties, especially the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress, of damaging Punjab over decades, and used some of his strongest language yet to portray them as self-serving and disconnected from ordinary people. He criticised former chief ministers and targeted opposition leaders over governance, corruption, religion and their political record.
The scale of the projects announced in Hoshiarpur is likely to give the Aam Aadmi Party government a fresh opportunity to underline its development-first message. Yet the strongly political tone of the speech also showed that with the next electoral battle inching closer, infrastructure launches are increasingly doubling as campaign platforms.
