Dhuri (Sangrur): Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday said his govt was delivering direct benefits to women and ordinary families while putting public money to work for Punjab’s development.Addressing a Lok Milni at Balian, Mann said women would once again hear the “toon-toon” of notifications on their phones on Oct 1 when financial assistance under the Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna was credited to their accounts. He said Dalit women would receive Rs 1,500 per month against the promised Rs 1,000.Questioning the BJP’s bid to seek votes in Punjab, Mann asked how the party could seek public support after the deaths of 750 farmers. He also claimed his govt had proved predictions of Punjab turning into a desert wrong by improving groundwater levels and had “closed all doors to corruption”.Mann said his govt had shifted the focus of governance towards ordinary citizens, farmers, youth, women and students.“Punjab witnessed politics centred around a handful of families for decades. Today, ordinary people have started demanding accountability and development, and political parties that ruled Punjab for decades are finding this difficult to accept. The opposition is united primarily because of its opposition to our govt and our people-centric initiatives,” he said.Targeting the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mann said, “The same Akalis who once called the BJP anti-farmer and repeatedly criticised the party are now seeking its support. This shows how political circumstances change when the only objective is to regain power.”The chief minister said people remembered the stands taken by political parties in the past. He accused Congress and SAD of dividing people for political gains and claimed that despite their public differences, the two parties remained connected through political and personal interests.On employment, Mann said around 71,000 govt jobs had been provided on merit. “Not even a single person can point a finger at me and say that money was taken for giving a govt job. The entire recruitment has been conducted on the principle of merit,” he said.Referring to the free power scheme, Mann said the provision of 300 units of free electricity per month to domestic consumers, introduced in 2022, continued to provide relief to households. He stressed the need to strengthen Punjab’s power infrastructure to ensure energy security.“Mothers have told me that the financial assistance being provided to them is being used for their children’s education fees, household requirements and other essential expenses. This is the purpose of welfare programmes, to provide direct support to families,” he said.Mann said Congress and SAD were opposing several schemes launched by his govt. Instead of merely criticising existing programmes, opposition parties should tell people what they proposed to do for Punjab, he added.Turning to Punjab’s groundwater situation, Mann said his govt had undertaken major measures to increase canal irrigation and reduce dependence on groundwater.“Approximately 14,000 km of pipelines have been laid as part of this irrigation push and canal-water utilisation has increased substantially,” he said.Mann claimed canal-water utilisation had risen from around 22% to 88%, while groundwater levels had improved by one to five metres in several areas. “We have proved the prediction that Punjab would turn into a desert wrong by raising groundwater levels,” he said.He said the govt had invested around Rs 6,700 crore in irrigation infrastructure, including pipelines and watercourses.On education, Mann claimed Punjab had risen from 27th position when he assumed office to the top position in the NITI Aayog education assessment.He also cited the performance of govt school students in competitive examinations, saying 882 students from Punjab govt schools qualified NEET in 2026, compared with around 80 in 2021.“Behind these numbers are families of ordinary people. Their parents run small shops, work as labourers, drive rickshaws or sell vegetables. When their children become doctors and engineers, the entire family moves forward,” Mann said.
