Kejriwal indulges in blame game on pollution: Punjab Minister
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Nov, 2021 11:58 AM
New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Slamming the Aam Adami Party (AAP) for wrongly blaming the Punjab farmers for Delhi pollution, Punjab Industries Minister Gurkirat Singh on Monday said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has indulged in the blame game to save its own skin as it has completely failed to control pollution in the national capital.
Gurkirat Singh, who was the chief guest at Punjab Day Function held during the ongoing India International Trade Fair 2021 at Pragati Maidan, also urged the Central government for reopening of Kartarpur Corridor, which has been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Talking on industrial growth in Punjab, the Cabinet minister said the state government had taken several steps for creating ease of doing business and ensuring stable growth of the industrial sector in Punjab.
He said that the Congress-led Punjab government has brought investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore in the state, which has not only given the much needed boost to the economy but also generated employment.
The minister said that the government has recently organised a two-day Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit during which renowned industrialists reiterated to further invest in the Punjab to expand their businesses.
He said the state government has set up Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion as the single point of contact to facilitate investors.
The new industrial policy with detailed schemes and operational guidelines was implemented with a sole motive of becoming the number one destination for investors and business in the country.
The new policy covers extensive reforms focusing on eight key strategic pillars of change -- infrastructure, power, skill, MSMEs, startup and entrepreneurship, ease-of-doing business, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives and policy.
Rejecting all opposition to his elevation, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the party's new Punjab unit President along with four Working Presidents.
Calling the reports of alleged snooping on prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware as "baseless", the ruling BJP on Monday said there is not a single shred of evidence so far that links either the central government or the party to this controversy.
Congress MPs from both Houses had met on Sunday afternoon at Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to discuss the issues related to Punjab and sought an appointment with Gandhi.
Apart from reviewing the security arrangements in the national capital, the Delhi Police have also strengthened the security in and around the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day.
Police said acting on a specific information, Budgam Police along with the Army's 53 RR and 43 BN of the CRPF arrested one local terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, one magazine, eight live pistol rounds from his possession.
As the Pegasus spyware scandal unravelled within and outside Parliament, he termed it a "shocking assault" on India's democratic polity by the Union government, which had compromised the national security with "this blatantly disgraceful act".
