The North News
Chandigarh, November 27
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday said the state government had released ₹213 crore as the first instalment for development works under the ‘Rangla Punjab’ scheme. The allocation is part of a total budget of ₹585 crore announced earlier this year.
Speaking at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, Cheema said the scheme, introduced in the state budget under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, earmarks ₹5 crore for development projects in each Assembly constituency. Committees comprising MLAs and officials were formed to identify priority works, and the first tranche of funds has been disbursed to various panchayats based on their proposals. Cheema said the committees would continue to recommend projects and that funding would be provided as required. He thanked the chief minister for launching what he described as an ambitious push for balanced development across rural and urban areas.
He said the government had recently released an additional ₹334 crore to panchayats, zila parishads and panchayat samitis, and highlighted ongoing efforts to ensure that “no village, town or city is left behind”. As part of the wider development programme, more than 3,000 sports stadiums are being built across Punjab to support young athletes, and 19,000 kilometres of roads are under construction to strengthen the state’s infrastructure.
Cheema contrasted the government’s approach with that of previous administrations, alleging that earlier governments typically began development work only towards the end of their term. The Aam Aadmi Party government, he said, had been “delivering on its guarantees from day one”.
