Chandigarh, Nov 29 (IANS) The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to deal promptly with the issues and grievances of the Punjabi diaspora.
It will organise five programmes called 'NRI Punjabiyan Nal Milni' to listen the plaints.
These programmes will be held in Jalandhar, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Ludhiana, Moga and Amritsar on December 16, 19, 23, 26 and 30, respectively.
After a review meeting with the NRI Affairs Department, the NRI Commission and the NRI Sabha, state NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said issues and complaints of NRI Punjabis will be resolved promptly as well as on the spot during these meetings.
He added that issues of NRIs belonging to Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar and Kapurthala will be listened and resolved during a meeting on December 16 at Jalandhar.
Similarly, the programme to be held at SAS Nagar on December 19 during which matters of diaspora belonging to SAS Nagar, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts will be resolved on the spot.
The Cabinet minister further said during the programme in Ludhiana on December 23, issues of NRIs of Ludhiana, Sangrur, Barnala and Malerkotla would be resolved.
He said at a programme in Moga and Amritsar on December 26, and 30 issues related to Moga, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Mukatsar, Fazilka, Bathinda, Mansa and Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Tarn Taran districts would be covered.
Dhaliwal said the basic facilities at the 15 NRI police stations will be improved.
"Rs 2 lakh will be given to every NRI Police Station and a total of Rs 30 lakh will be released soon," he added.
The minister said PCS-level officers will be deputed as nodal officers, who will resolve the issues and complaints of the concerned with the support of the district administration.
According to media reports, Mann, who was on a eigh-day trip to Germany till September 18, delayed his departure as he was reportedly in 'an inebriated state'. However, AAP has strongly denied the charge, saying Mann was not deplaned at the Frankfurt airport. The party termed it as false and frivolous propaganda by political rivals.
The official added that a case was registered against Shailendra Sharma, the Superintendent and Tax Clerk Raman Agarwal on a complaint alleging that they were demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 which was reduced to Rs 25,000 from the complainant for getting his mutation file processed. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.
Both -- Mandeep, alias Manna Tuffan, and Manpreet, alias Mani Rayia -- were allegedly involved in the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia. Kandowalia, who was facing dozens of cases of murder and attempt to murder, was gunned down outside a private hospital in Amritsar in August last year. The Bhagwanpuria group had taken the responsibility for the murder.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat. The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.
The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt). His party - Punjab Lok Congress - though had failed to get even a single seat during the assembly elections.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.
