The 79th Independence Day was celebrated with great fervour at the Shaheed Lieutenant Navdeep Singh (Ashok Chakra) Stadium of Government College, Gurdaspur, where Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, Water Supply and Sanitation, Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian unfurled the National Flag. Before the ceremony, the Cabinet Minister paid floral tributes at the statue of Shaheed Lieutenant Navdeep Singh and at the martyrs’ gallery in the stadium.
Addressing the district-level function, Mundian extended Independence Day greetings to the people of Gurdaspur and said that India owes its freedom to the sacrifices and struggles of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Rajguru, Shaheed Sukhdev, Sardar Kartar Singh Sarabha, Shaheed Udham Singh, Madan Lal Dhingra, Lala Lajpat Rai, Diwan Singh Kalapani and numerous other freedom fighters. He proudly noted that Punjabis made the maximum sacrifices during the freedom struggle.
The Minister highlighted that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann took oath at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, and that portraits of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar have been placed in all government offices. He added that Mohali International Airport has been renamed after Shaheed Bhagat Singh and a statue of the great martyr has also been installed there.
ਗੁਰਦਾਸਪੁਰ ਦੇ ਸਰਕਾਰੀ ਕਾਲਜ ਵਿਖੇ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਲੈਫ਼ਟੀਨੈਂਟ ਨਵਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ (ਅਸ਼ੋਕ ਚੱਕਰ) ਸਟੇਡੀਅਮ ਵਿਖੇ 79ਵਾਂ ਆਜ਼ਾਦੀ ਦਿਹਾੜਾ ਪੂਰੇ ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹ ਨਾਲ ਮਨਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ। ਸੂਬੇ ਦੇ ਮਾਲ, ਮੁੜ ਵਸੇਬਾ ਤੇ ਆਫ਼ਤ ਪ੍ਰਬੰਧਨ, ਜਲ ਸਪਲਾਈ ਤੇ ਸੈਨੀਟੇਸ਼ਨ, ਮਕਾਨ ਉਸਾਰੀ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਵਿਕਾਸ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਹਰਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੁੰਡੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਇਸ ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ ਪੱਧਰੀ ਆਜ਼ਾਦੀ… pic.twitter.com/RGXs9t409J
— Government of Punjab (@PbGovtIndia) August 15, 2025
Outlining the government’s achievements, Minister Hardeep Mundian said that Punjab residents receive 300 units of free power every month, leading to zero bills for nearly 90% of households. So far, over 55,000 youth have been given government jobs. A total of 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are functioning successfully with free medicines and diagnostic tests, and 200 more clinics are being opened. From October 2, every citizen will also be covered under a ₹10 lakh health insurance scheme.
On the campaign against drugs and corruption, the Minister stressed that the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” initiative is being run on a war footing with a zero-tolerance policy. Minister Hardeep said that major reforms have been introduced in the Revenue Department, with the transfer of officers from tehsildars to registry clerks to break old nexuses. Public services are being made easier with facilities like Easy Registry and Easy Jamabandi.
Minister Hardeep Mundian added that 118 Schools of Eminence have been set up, while under the Sikhya Kranti initiative, teachers are being trained abroad. The state has also ensured 100% piped water supply to rural households and revived 14,000 water courses to support farmers, who form the backbone of Punjab’s economy.
Minister Hardeep further stated that Punjab is the first state to establish the Sadak Surakhiya Force (SSF) to save lives of road accident victims. Industrial growth is being promoted through the new OTS scheme, while a fresh sports policy has been rolled out to boost sports culture. The state has launched Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan, and sports nurseries and playgrounds are being developed across villages. Over the last three and a half years, around ₹100 crore has been awarded as prize money to winners of Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and National Games.