Chandigarh, February 12: Punjab Assembly session began on Tuesday with Governor VP Singh Badnore’s address.
Live updates
12:01 pm: Governor ends his 55 minute speech, leaves the House.
12:00 pm: The governor said that not only the teachers the grievances of all employees of the state are receiving full attention of the government.
11:56 am: Government is seriously concerned about woes of teachers and it shall take all possible measures to redress their grievances: Guv
11:55 am: Government pursuing implementation of ‘Padho Punjab Padhao Punjab’. Under the programme 70 per cent students have achieved the learning targets: Guv
11:54 am: Started pre-primary classes for children in the age group of 3-6 years in 12,921 government schools and enrolment of 1.73 lakh children. Introduced English as the medium of instruction in 2,387 schools: Guv
11:53 am: 261 secondary schools have been made Smart Schools and 2524 government primary schools have been transformed through active support of civil society
11:50 am: 28,000 residue management machines have been given to farmers.
11:49 am: Under karza Kurku khatam farm debt relief scheme notified in October 2017 as many as 5.83 lakh small and marginal farmers have been provided debt relief so far. The remaining 10.25 lakh farmers will be provided their due benefit under the scheme shortly. Government has paid Rs 1,00,235 crore in four previous crops as against Rs 77,984 crore paid to farmers during 2015-2016 and 2016-2017: Guv
11:48 am: One of the constraints faced by the government in providing quicker employment to the youth was lacking requisite skills and resultant employability: Guv
11:45 am: Government has successfully implemented GST in the state during the last two years despite repeated changes in the GAT laws enacted by the centre. Punjab was first to waive state GST on langar at Harimandar Sahib: Guv
11:40 pm: Government has frozen variable electricity tariffs for industry at Rs 5 per unit State’s power subsidy to industries was about Ra 1,500 crore in the previous year: Guv
11:38 pm: Some major business projects associated with industry that have been initiated included Hi Tech Cycle Valley at Ludhiana, a new international standard Technology University at Mohali, a new 500 acre business park at Rajpura, substantial expansion of Bathina refinery, a food park at Ludhiana and paper mills at Ropar and Hoshiarpur, besides others: Guv
11:34 pm: Government has reduced the resource gap to Rs 4,175 crore in 2017-2018 and increased the revenue receipts by 23 per cent in December 2018: Guv
11:33 pm: Government is facing severe financial constraints because of financial imprudence of the previous government. They spent public money recklessly without caring for possible revenue receipts of the state. They had left the state with an outstanding liability of Rs 13039 crore in March 2017. The state has slipped down the ladder in its ranking in per capita income from third in 2008-2009 to 10th in 2016-2017: Guv
11:29 pm: Government is committed to recommendations of enquiry headed by Justice Ranjit Singh. The government has set up a Special Investigation Team as recommended by the assembly: Guv
11:28 pm: The government has made it clear to one and all that no one involved in any sacrilege case will be spared: Guv
11:27 pm: Enforcement of anti drug abuse measures during the last two years as many as 21,049 cases registered under NDPS Act. 25,092 arrested and more than 556 kg heroin recovered.
11:24 pm: Policies and programmes formulated and notified by the state are, among others: Business and Industrial Development Policy; Tourism Policy; Culture Policy; Policy for Housing and Urban Development; Teansport Policy; Mahatma Gandhi Sarnath Vikas Yojna; Agriculture Debt Relief Scheme; and Ghar Ghar Rozgar and Karobar: Guv
11:24 pm: The government has started 168 outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics to provide free outpatient treatment to drug addicts.
11:24 pm: We wish that the central government takes a note of the looming water crises in Punjab and helps state in avoiding the same before state turns into a desert: Guv
11:24 pm: State government proposes a State Water Authority to ensure better regulations and conservation of water.
11:24 pm: SAD- BJP MLAs walk out of the assembly
11:14 pm: The central Ground Water Board has declared nearly two third of the state as dark zone: Guv
11:13 pm: Punjab does not have surplus water and is in fact threatened with a water famine in not too far a future. State ground water is fast depleting: Governor
11:10 pm: Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Master Baldev Singh not attending governor’s address.
11:11 pm: Government has created a specialised force within Punjab Police called Special Operations Group. The group is equipped with Sophie aged training to face situations like didayeen attacks, hostage situation and respond to armed militants with modern weapons
11:11 pm: SAD-BJP MLAs in the well of the House.
11:09 pm: Five rebel MLAs of AAP—Kanwar Sandhu, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Jagtar Singh Jagga, Pirmal Singh and Nazar Singh Manshahia—sitting at the back benches in the House.
11:07 pm: Governor VP Singh Badnore begins address. Says government has achieved major success in controlling crime, including busting 18 terror modules and 22 foreign networks. More than 1,400 gangsters neutralised.
